Fairy Tail: Hardwood Heroes 2 - Going for Gold!
by HappyTheCamper
Summary: SEQUEL: Natsu and the gang are back to take on the Olympic Games! Can the Fairies unite with their hated league rivals as they ride the road to Olympic Gold? Meanwhile Lucy is a rising star in journalism, and she's starting to feel like Natsu may really be the one for her. While all her friends are slowly getting engaged, Lucy secretly wishes that he'll pop the big question soon...
1. 1 - The Life of an FBA All-Star

**Author's Note: It is important to note that I do not own Fairy Tail. It, its story, characters, settings and all other aspects are the property of Hiro Mashima. The only aspects of this story I can claim are the plot and alternate universe.**

**It is also important to note that this story is actually a sequel to my first installment "Fairy Tail: Hardwood Heroes." The name of that story used to be "Hardcourt Heroes" but corrections for accuracy saw the need for a change. It would be in your _best_ interest to read that story first before proceeding here. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Fairy Tail: Hardwood Heroes 2**

**Going for Gold!**

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"Would you slow down?! You're going to get us in a wreck if you keep going this fast!"

"AHAHAHA!"

A sharp white convertible sports car zoomed down the busy streets of Crocus on a lively Saturday night in the middle of March. Other drivers honked and stopped as the busy driver blitzed down the urban downtown center of Fiore's capital city, and it appeared to on-lookers like the driver and his passenger had somewhere important to be.

"Sorry, but if I slow down I may be late for the big event! Now I'm starting ta' think we should have left a little earlier."

"Mmmgh…" The nervous passenger narrowed her vision at the crazed driver, as she slightly agreed with his suggestion. Despite her comedic way of handling this catastrophe, the speed at which the car was driving did start to have a negative effect on her experience.

The driver folded for a little bit. "I know, I shoulda listened to ya. We needed to leave earlier...I was just really enjoying our dinner date before the big night!" His words seemed to be calmer, but his driving actions did not slow down in the slightest.

His passenger followed as her hand still nervously clutched the handle on the inside of her car door. "That's not the point. I don't care about being right. What a care about is getting to the game with my car IN ONE PIECE!"

She ducked her head under the dash board to avoid witnessing the obvious collision, but the cocky driver cackled some more as he veered right into a passing lane and avoided all damages. He then kept his eyes on the clock.

"It doesn't matter anyway. It's not like they'd let the thing go on without me!"

"Really?" His blonde counterpart replied with a raised eyebrow. "Thinkin' that high and mighty about yourself?"

"Duh!" The driver passed a hand through his spiky pink head of hair. "The league MVP obviously makes the other guys wait on him!"

"Yea? Well as long as they're not waiting for you in the ER…" The girl widened her brown eyes as she started to look at the clock, herself. "You do know there are only five minutes until…?"

"ON IT!" He slammed his foot on the gas and powered by every car in front of him as the girl next to him shrieked with fear and grabbed him in a hug. Fans on each sidewalk looked like they were on their way to a busy event down town, but all stopped to take pictures and gawk at the flying white lightning bolt zooming down the streets of the City of Flowers.

"You're not even going to have time to use the team entrance! Just pull up to the front and let me park the car!"

"Are you sure? But if I just zoom around the stadium, the turn is only a few lights away from…"

"NATSU!"

Lucy yelled with her eyes closed and anger in her words. Natsu was fortunate not to have any direct traffic riding his bumper, because the sound of his girlfriend's terrified voice yelling over his ear caused his foot to switch to the break. He halted the sports car right at the front block of the stadium's entrance and garden.

Natsu's eyes looked both frightened and sad as he looked over to see Lucy panting with an extreme breath. Her left hand was resting on the car's emergency break, while her right still feverishly held the passenger handle up above her head. She had eyes that appeared to be slightly moist, but no tears ran down her face as she recited her argument.

"Natsu…how many times have I told you…I don't like to ride that fast in a car."

His heart broke for a moment. As if he forgot what Lucy's ex-boyfriend did to her years ago. The last time she was forced to race through a downtown street section like that ended with her resting inside the Emergency Room.

He looked even sadder that before. "I'm…I'm so sorry Lucy. I just got excited, and I…"

Lucy stopped breathing so heavily and took her grip off the break to grab his hand. She felt more comfortable doing that anyway. "It's okay…I know you get excited on nights like this…and I know you're a good enough driver to never get in a wreck even if you go that fast. But…it's just a lot to handle sometimes."

"That's not a good enough excuse for me." Natsu argued. "I'm an idiot sometimes. Plain and simple. I need to be thinking more when I'm around you."

"You're not _that_ much of an idiot...but thank you, Natsu." Lucy looked up, and that warm moment was the first that she let a small tear form under her eye. She wiped it away. "Besides…if we're ever going to get in a car wreck…then I'd at least like it to be in _YOUR_ CAR, NOT _MINE!_"

"Hehe!" Natsu patted Lucy on her angry little head. "Now there's the Lucy I know and love! I just like driving yours so much with the convertible top, ya know? Plus, if I let you drive, I'll get all car sick!"

He popped the hood and threw it behind their heads as the oddly warm spring night of downtown Crocus loomed all around them. Lights, noises, and busy movements all enveloped their senses as Lucy slightly smiled and raised her hands out to stretch above her head. "I suppose you're right, my car is nice for nights like this."

Natsu let her enjoy the moment while he followed a small, but exclusive line of traffic up to the main entrance of the stadium. Although fans from around the country crowded the entrance to the looming Domus Flou stadium, a small horseshoe driving lane extended to the main entrance of the stadium, which left a short walking distance for very important guests to enter the stadium.

One of such men happened to be the starting point guard for the Magnolia Fairies, and recently named league MVP—Natsu Dragneel. Despite his on-time arrival, however, this was not the best place for a starting FBA player to be entering the arena.

The doors opened, and Natsu and Lucy both got out of their respected sides. Natsu had a slick black suit on with a loose-fitting, dark red tie, as if he were expecting heavy press or a news conference. Lucy walked around the car to meet him with a white formal jacket and matching short skirt, and a fancy black blouse on underneath. Her white heals clicked on the pavement, and alerted several passing basketball fans as the two young lovers opened arms for one another.

"Oh my god! IT'S NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

Cell phones and cameras all opened up, and people turned their flashes way on to capture a very romantic moment between Natsu and Lucy. She usually hated flaunting their relationship under the limelight, and for that reason Natsu loved it even more.

"Natsu…" Lucy leaned back in his arms. "You know I hate it when you try to kiss me with an audience around..."

"Hehe!" Natsu tightened his grip on her waist. "I doubt you'll be saying that on the court once I win this game for ya."

"Stubborn as always." Lucy's face turned red as she sighed. "Just go…you're going to be late."

"Oh right!" Natsu chucked and reached back into the back of the car for his gear. He ran past several fans toward the open glass doorway while also delivering handshakes and high-fives to all that he could.

"Natsu Dragneel…the only player who would ever arrive late to his own FBA Finals game." Lucy was right. The dense point guard was only driving so fast because this was the night of the FBA championship game. The Magnolia Fairies were the previous and current league champions after their miraculous victory over the Tartaros Devils last season, and were once again center stage for the main basketball event in Fiore as they prepped to fight the Saber City Tigers for defense of their title.

"Man…" Lucy sighed to herself as she got back in her car to park. "I hope no one blames me for making him late…"

"Yo, Lucy! Glad I could see ya! Make sure you get inside for tip-off. It's gonna be super cooool!"

"Ahaha…" Lucy buckled her seatbelt and waved casually to the Sports Report Weekly editor, and her current employer for a new collegiate internship—Jason. "Thanks, boss man! It's good to see you too!"

Lucy was only a freshman at Magnolia University, but she was having such a remarkable first year experience in her current major of journalism that her academic advisor suggested that she take her close ties with the FBA to the next level. She partnered herself with the number one news outlet for Fiore sports, and now saw more value in her time spent watching FBA games for Natsu and her father.

Jude Heartfilia was still the owner of the Magnolia Fairies, and for the most part the championship organization ran the same as it did only one year ago. Makarov Dreyar reached retirement after the big win and left the head coach's spot open for a more-than capable assistant. Levy McGarden was still the overly popular GM of Fiore, and all the starting players found themselves with similar spots from last year.

Lucy managed to pull into an employee exclusive parking lot, but she knew the game had already started as her head lights shifted from on to off. She did not want to run the risk of being late, so she managed to gather her things as quickly as possible and made her way to the side entrance for exclusive VIPs.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm actually going to need some real ID."

"Oh come on! They were right here a minute ago!" Lucy was trying to find two sperate passes that both seemed to allude her eyes. One was for the VIP booth to sit with her father, Jude, while the other gave her game entry and court-side access for press reasons.

"One of them has to be in here…" She continued digging through her matte black purse tripped all over with posh gold buckles. "I don't suppose you read the news, do you? Hehe…" Surely, her writing, or even her famous last name had to give the security guy a clue as to who she really was. After all, her father was this man's boss.

"Ma'am, if this were a regular season game, I might have waved you on it, but this is a big-time event. President Fiore is in here with the owner of the Fairies, and I can't have random people saying…"

"WAIT!" Lucy yelled with anger. "You do know that's my dad, right? Jude Heartfilia? Just call the booth and let him speak for himself!"

"I'm not doing that!" He raised his hands in fear. "That man is terrifying! Plus, they have the secret service guys in there too…if you have a cell phone maybe you could…"

"Damn it…damn it damn it damn it…" Lucy's yells quickly turned into comedic sobs as her knees hit the pavement ground, and her cellphone holding a 0% battery charge slid out of her hands and onto the concrete.

"Just once…" She pouted. "I would like to have a normal stress-free experience in my life for just one time."

"Excuse me? You're a Heartfilia, are you not?"

Lucy and the security clerk both looked at a new face waiting in the small line of 2. He was alone, but his outfit spoke volumes about his status and worth. The black-haired boy only looked to be a few years older than she was, but his black racing jacket and slick white capri pants looked like they cost as much as her own luxurious outfit. He also had a white drivers scarf tied around his neck, but in a loose manor that left more to accent his smiling, handsome young face.

"I'm sorry to butt in," His messy black hair did not fit the smooth tone of his voice. "I'm heading into the game as well. I figured I could vouge for you."

"Uhhh…" Lucy liked receiving help, but this strange man sent chills down her skin for real reason. She slowly stood up and grabbed her phone as the odd boy flashed the guard his pass and opened the door. The young man held the door open for her, and gave her a soft, innocent smile.

"Sorry for being so forward too! I'm only trying to be nice."

"Awe, well thank you very much." Lucy accepted all he had to offer and followed him into the Domus Flou executive entrance. They walked through a small, but luxurious hallway that led to the stadium's club seat level, but the length of the corridor left them with a small moment alone.

"So, you're here to see the game?" Lucy realized that was an idiotic question, since this was the only event going on in the stadium that night.

The young man laughed either way. "Yes, I suppose I am! Although I'm not here to see every athlete or either team, just a certain player."

"Right." Lucy replied awkwardly. "I-Is it like a family member, o-or something?" Her new acquaintance was so calm, but he still left her with shivers underneath her skin.

The man nodded. "Yes, a close one to be exact. I haven't seen him play in…oh it's been far too long. I also suppose I'm happy to see professional Fiore basketball either way."

"Right." Lucy agreed. "So, are you a big fan of the sport too? Or is this person just dragging you out to watch him for no reason?"

"The former." He quickly replied. "I've always loved the sport, but I know it's hit or miss in Fiore. The rest of the world is far crazier about this silly athletic spectacle, which makes the land of Flowers and Fairies that much more…entertaining."

"Uh-huh…" Lucy hated how poetic he made things sound. She always fancied herself a smart person, but this stranger was starting to make her feel insecure with her own limited intelligence.

He noticed a slick camera hanging around her shoulder. "I take it you're with the press? I've heard good things from the reports of Jude Heartfilia's daughter."

"Yea, that's me!" Lucy hated it when she had to talk with strangers who knew her, more so when she failed to recognize them back. "This is my first big event for a college internship…I'm a little excited, but way more nervous!"

The man nodded and took the door handle at the end of the hall. He pushed it open, letting Lucy pass into the club hallway first. Fans were scurrying about the red velvet-lined floor of the Domus as popcorn and other refreshments scrapped across the ground in an unkempt frenzy.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was walking too slow." The boy put a hand behind his head. "We must have missed the tip-off."

"Oh no, it's not your fault!" Lucy laughed with a polite attitude. "I'm the one who forgot my passes…ugh, my dad is going to kill me. Not to mention my boss!"

"Yes well, I hope you get your reporting in. If you happen to end up with your father in the President's suite, then I suppose we'll meet again. Until then."

He turned, but Lucy was still stuck on his last comment to think straight._ "Hold on…does he know my dad?"_ She yelled out in an anxious blurt. "Um Thanks again! My name's Lucy. It was nice meeting you! I-I didn't catch your name?"

The black-haired boy stopped walking and turned with soft eyes and an even more comforting smile as he gave her a reply.

"Zeref. It was nice meeting you too, Lucy."

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**Well this is just a short little prologue...but hey, we're back! :D**

**Oh dear lord it has been far too long since I've entered this universe. So MUCH has happened over the past three years, but I am REALLY EXCITED to be back with the Fairy Tail Hardwood Series characters! Please let me remind readers that yes, I did change the name to "Hardwood Heroes." The athlete in me was starting to get a little testy every time I read my inaccurate first title "Hardcourt"...I'll digress.**

**If you can't tell, I haven't gotten any less crazy from the last story, but that also means I have a lot of fun in store! Chapters will be a lot more random as compared to the last story, but I will try to be timely as my creative side lets me. Please use this prologue chapter as a small teaser for what is to come, and let me use this time to welcome back all readers from the first story, and new readers who are just discovering the series now!**

**Until then!**


	2. 2 - Back At It Again!

**Author's Note: Oh dear lord, has it really been three years? My God, time flies...**

**HELLO! My name is HappyTheCamper, and I am back from the dead to revive this series! My one-hit wonder story is now getting a sequel, and this here is the first official chapter!**

**First as a reminder, this is an _athletic/romantic AU_ for Fairy Tail. Again****, this is going to center around the sport of Basketball. Also, and this is very important... **

*****THIS STORY IS A_ SEQUEL!_ DO NOT READ WITHOUT READING HARDWOOD HEROES 1!*****

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own **_**Fairy Tail. **_

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**Chapter Two - Back at It Again**

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"And we'll go to commercial break for the end of the first half where the score between the Fairies and the Tigers is all too close to call! 48-46 Magnolia when we return!"

Chapati Lola always had to try extra hard to make his television broadcasts lasting for the championship FBA game. He certainly had to pick up the extra effort to talk over the roaring crowds of the Domus Flou year after year.

Yajima, the celebrity chef sensation, and part-time announcer for FBA basketball games sat idly by as he grinned between the break. "Hehe, those boys from Magnolia are really bringing the heat tonight! I'm just glad Dragneel showed up in time for the tip off. He's been playing really well this playoff run!"

"Right you are, Yajima! apparently, if the Fairies go on to win tonight, Natsu Dragneel is going to receive his league MVP trophy ceremony too. He may even get the Finals MVP title as well." Chapati agreed as he adjusted his tie while the cameras were switched off. "It'll be exciting to see whether or not Sting Eucliffe can keep the Tigers involved for the second half."

"Ya know?" Yajima started scratching his wrinkled chin. "Even when the cameras are off…we still talk like TV announcers." He then looked around at the club level seating.

"I hope ol' Maki is enjoying the game as much since he's retired."

_~Checking in to the Domus Flou Presidential Box Seats_

"So, then he drank the whole thing, and stayed locked in his hotel bathroom all the next day! Oh man we got him good that night! He had no idea!"

Makarov Dreyar was happily sitting in the President's suite club booth during the half time of his former team's championship game. Sure, he was freshly retired, but the lively grandpa always knew how to keep his spirits high while the spirits in his cups were even higher.

"Ahhh, that's too funny, Dreyar!" Said the equally short, President Toma E. Fiore. He was sporting a similar chuckling face to Makarov's. "It's no wonder why you and Coach Jose don't get along! I can't believe he lets you all bully him around like that!"

Makarov was on one of his drinks, but he had forgotten his count once the game got closer in points. President Toma was drinking far less than his retired counterpart but was trying to enjoy himself nonetheless. "You really let these sorts of things happen at your league conferences, Arcadios?"

"Urgh, sir I can't say I ever condone what our head coaches do in their free time." FBA Commissioner Arcadios tried to cover up the odd tale about Makarov and Jose, especially since it came from the coach that gave him the most stress in the past. He was happy for Makarov's success, but was thankful the eccentric Fairy coach was out of the league once and for all.

"Oh my, that does sound like quite the event." Hisui, the President's daughter covered her smiling face as she soaked in her father's lively company. "So, are you enjoying your year of retirement, Coach Dreyar?"

"Ahhh..." Makarov started slurring his speech. "That's Former Coach ta you, missy…yes, I can say it's been a weight off my chest not having to deal with that team of clods…and their owner, hehe…"

Sitting crossed-legged on the other side of Makarov was the no-so-pleased Jude Heartfilia checking his busy phone. He was the CEO of Heartfilia Airways, and FBA tycoon owner of the Magnolia Fairies. He was easily Fiore's number one businessman and the wealthiest man in the country after experiencing a huge market gain in his industry, and recent success from his turn-around FBA franchise.

Needless to say, he was pleased with Makarov's retirement too. "The Magnolia Fairies were happy to have an athlete and coach such as Makarov Dreyar in our organization. He certainly left great shoes to fill."

"True." Levy McGarden, the Fairies' General Manager, replied. "But his new successor is really doing a great job! She may become the first female head coach to win an FBA title! Not to mention the youngest!"

"I suppose it is true that Mavis Vermillion was never a coach in the FBA." Hisui gave Levy a supportive nod, but turned her attention back to Jude as the entire group rose to their feet for refreshments in the suit cabin. "And how is Lucy? I hear she's having quite the successful first year of college as an interning journalist?"

"Eh? It's not as successful as I'd like it to be."

Everyone in the group, and the rest of the chamber all turned to find Lucy Heartfilia emerge from the main floor with sweat on her brow and a broken camera around her neck. "As you probably saw…Natsu had to come crashing into my camera stand on courtside when he lost the ball."

"Lu!" Levy wrapped her arms around Lucy with a great big hug, but made room between her and her friend for the shattered camera piece. "I'm so sorry about your camera! I take it you're on-break for halftime?"

"Eh, more like the rest of the game." She took the camera off and threw it away. Jude provided his first smile of the night as he quietly laughed at his daughter's plight, and raised an arm to gather her for a hug. She accepted, and then gave the President and his daughter a handshake.

Toma accepted, but Hisui mimicked Levy and gave Lucy a much friendlier gesture than she expected. "One bad night shouldn't hurt your career that much! I'm sure you'll have more opportunities."

"Yes!" Toma replied. "I may be on the lookout for a Presidential photographer this summer. I could use a friendly face around the Mercurius taking pictures of the family."

"Friendly face?" Makarov wobbled over and nudged Jude in the side while holding a fresh new drink. "She's got more than a friendly face, if ya know what I mean..."

Jude bit his tongue in anger, but it turned out that he was not the only one to hear that utterly rude remark.

"Oh, young Dreyar! I suppose your good father would be disappointed to hear you speaking like that if he were alive!"

Makarov straightened up as his senior, and former FBA legend Warrod Sequen stepped up to pat him on the head. "Or maybe I'm just joking! I'm sure Yuri would say something equally as silly!"

"True, but I don't believe silly is the right word to describe the Dreyars. More like immature."

The entire group grew quiet as a fresh voice took the air and joined Warrod for the opportunity to tease the retired Makarov. If Makarov showed restraint after the interjection by Warrod, then this man made him feel twice as uncomfortable the moment he stepped into the conversation.

Lucy stepped back, now realizing that all this commotion was about her, until her father turned to face her. "Lucy, I should probably introduce you to Mr. Sequen's guest. This is his former teammate and friend, Precht Gaebolg."

"Itks a pleasure to meet you, Miss Heartfilia." The sinister figure of Precht towered over the young Heartfilia with unintentional intimidation. He had a large wizard's beard hanging from his chin with a rather ornate cane, almost like a staff. His outfit was an odd styled robe from overseas, complete with a matching pair of dark pants. However, the most distinct thing about him had to be the black eye patch stationed over his right eye. Lucy felt a chill take her shoulders as even his smile failed to smooth things over.

Makarov regrew his spine. "Eh, don't let the old coot scare you, Lucy. He'd probably keel over if he made one false step."

"Sharp-tonged as ever, Boy." Precht still grinned. "It's a surprise it took you as long as it did to win Magnolia a championship."

"Better coach than you ever were…" Makarov waddled over to Lucy and loudly whispered in her ear. "They used ta call him 'Coach Hades.'"

"They still do." Hades proudly proclaimed. "Or are you forgetting this year's competition in the Games?"

"What's he talking about?" Lucy leaned over to Levy, the only person in the group that truly made her feel comfortable.

Levy nodded. "Mr. Gaebolg coached the Fairies when Makarov played, and he used to play for Magnolia when they were first founded. Now he coaches the Fiore National Team."

Precht took over. "I came to this year's finals to scout out the best talent for the Olympic Games this summer. I'll be needing a fresh roster since most of my older players are out of the league by now."

"The _Olympics?"_ Lucy gasped. "In _ERA?_ That'd be amazing if Natsu could play overseas!"

"It would." Precht made no effort to agree with her. "But who is to say that boy is even good enough to make it in the international circuit."

"He certainly is talented." Jude nodded as his aid, Virgo, gave him a new drink, but suddenly turned to his daughter. "Which suddenly reminds me. Lucy, Natsu's bro…"

"HA!" Makarov interjected. "You'll _HAVE_ to take the whole Fairy roster to keep up with the boys in Alvarez! The players you saw in the first half are the best Fiore can offer!"

"Are they?" Precht turned as the two champion teams took the court again for a second round of play. "The Magnolia point guard is hot headed, the power forward leads the league in injury fouls, your shooting guard is weak in the knees, your center still has a damaged left arm, and if I'm not mistaken that small forward of yours isn't even a citizen of..."

"Ah..." Makarov brashly waved a hand as he made sure President Toma was turned the other way. "I'm not sure what that's all about. I'm almost sure we got rid of that player last year…"

"What in the hell are they all yapping about?!" Lucy loudly whispered to Levy, and seemed to forget her father's earlier concern.

Levy led them to open seats as they turned for the action. "It doesn't matter, the game is about to start up again!"

_~Down on the court_

"Alright boys. You're leading the game, but only by 2. We need to keep our defense high, but watch the fouls this quarter so we don't ruin our run in the 4th."

Head Coach Erza Scarlet was eager to display her coaching prowess the moment she earned her new title last season. She had taken the Magnolia Fairies through a pleasant regular season, tying the Eastern Conference with Oaktown, and has managed to win all her playoff games by ten points or more. Her team of all stars were shooting lights out, which meant it was all up to their usually sturdy defense to end the championship game for them and send them into the offseason.

"Yea yea..." Natsu had an obnoxious grin on his face as he wafted his hand back at his head coach. "We had this game in the bag from the first second, Erza. Just keep shooting like maniacs and cram it down their throat!"

"Moron." Gray followed Natsu onto the court as he scoffed at his teammate's dimwitted remark. "We're only winning by 2, so we need to keep our focus on offense _and_ defense."

"No kidding." Gajeel hated talking to Gray and Nastu, but any chance he had to rub it into Dragneel's face gave his mood a good uplifting. "Your second half shooting speaks for itself, Salamander. It's like you forget we're playing a game until it's time to hit a buzzer beater or something."

"Shut your mouth, Gajeel!" Natsu stopped walking forward, and slammed his face into Gajeel's. "You lead the league in most chairs thrown towards the fans this year, so I don't wanna hear your attitude coming my way!"

"Hey! It was only two times this year, and that loud-mouthed mom was asking for it!" Gajeel forgot the cameras were coming back on, and went to rear back his right fist before Laxus stepped between his two subordinates.

"Both of you need to shut the hell up right now, and play the damn game. I'm not losing the lead to Saber City in the second half just because you three want to start your little tea party early, tonight."

"Whatever." Natsu threw his hands in the air, and went for the far key. "I'm just passing to Jellal all night. That way I know the score will go up."

"I'm not too interested in running the score up, Natsu." Jellal calmly said as he followed his teammates off the bench. "I'll do what I can to secure a lead, but I'm through with rubbing it in opponents' faces."

"You will if I _tell_ you to." Erza had her arms crossed, and a set of red fireballs took her eyes as she grinned maniacally while Saber City came back to their bench. Like Magnolia, Saber City's Coach Giemma Orlando waved goodbye to the league on year ago, which left the seat open to his more than competent daughter, and hated rival of Erza, _Minerva_.

"Yikes!" Natsu shrieked as he looked at his head coach from the end of the court. "She's doing that creepy thing with her eyes again!"

"No kidding..." Gray said with his hand rubbing the back of his head. "I'm glad you settled your beef with Sting last season, otherwise we'd have two crazy feuds to deal with on this team."

"GRAY, MY DARLING! I'LL GLADLY FIGHT BOTH OF THEM FOR YOU! IF YOU ASK IT OF ME!"

"Gshhhhh..." Gray was taking the ball from the ref just as the loud, shrieking voice of his girlfriend took the lower ring of the stadium by surprise. "How the hell did she even hear our conversation, anyway?"

Back at the lower level of the stadium, Juvia was sitting next to several friends as her loving boyfriend took the ball from the referee and began the second half. "Oh, look at that determined expression! He's going to earn twenty for his beloved Juvia yet again!"

"Is he?" Wendy Dragneel, Natsu's younger sister, sat beside her eccentric friend with her head twisted sideways. "He kind of looks like he has to throw up, if you ask me..."

"I think you're right." Wendy's close friend, Romeo Conbolt laughed awkwardly as he watched the game with the others from the lower bowl. "He better make it through the rest of the game. I want this to come down to the wire!"

"I do too!" Wendy delightfully cheered with him. "Sorry again that I turned down those passes Lucy gave me. She said the President of Fiore would be in the booth, and that kind of intimidated me a little."

"Nah, it's cool." Romeo smiled for her. "I think these are better seats for watching the game anyway. All they do in those fancy booths is talk I bet."

"Yes...talk." Juvia kept a narrow vision on the presidential suite from her lower level seating. "I hope that girl Lucy and the GM aren't whispering anything _too_ suggestive to the owner. If they steal Gray's playing time in favor of Natsu or Gajeel I'll..."

"Um, the owner is Lucy's dad, remember? And he's Levy's boss too." Wendy grabbed Juvia by the hand, and tugged at her to join them back down below. "Just watch the game and enjoy, Juvia!"

"Oh, well yes, I suppose you're right." Juvia fell for Wendy's distraction and let the excitement of the second half take her away.

It was good timing too. Gray was taking the ball down court after a rare pass from Natsu, and just as the approaching Rogue from Saber City stepped in to swipe the ball, he brought it behind his back, and shifted his run to go the other way.

"Agh!" Rogue acted very disgusted with himself after Gray swept by him. "His ball handling has improved too much since last season!"

"No kidding!" Sting was polite with the Fairies, but ready to show them a good game. "Which is why we have to put a little more effort into this game!" Sting led Gray in one direction with his front foot, then shuffled back to swipe the ball from his hands right on the three-point line. He passed the ball quickly to Rufus Lore, who took several steps toward the other three-point arc to put up a jumper.

"Two points!" Yelled Mest, the primary referee. "You jumped the line on your way down."

"Man!" Sting yelled out with slight frustration. "What's with the short shots tonight, Rufus?"

"My mistake, Sting." Rufus did not appear to be too upset with his shot. "I've been practicing on the Olympic regulation lines at my home court in my free time. If my memory serves me well, that line is several inches inward."

"Yea, well worry about that stuff after the season, man!" Sting gave him a light-hearted chuckle, but was still mad that they only made two. Natsu took the ball down the court from there, and easily dazzled his way around the bothered Sting Eucliffe as he flashed his next pass on to Jellal.

"And the Meteor Man Jellal makes a _threeee!_" Chapati Lola yelled into his mic as the crowd went wild. "Fairies take a three-point lead with 10 remaining in the third."

"Heehee!" Natsu back-pedaled back down the other way as he high-fived Jellal. "Glad the league voted to keep the twelve-minute quarters! We can really rack up the points here!"

"I suppose you're right." Jellal was trying to have fun for Natsu. "I wouldn't mind it if I had a few more field goals before the end of the game."

"A few more?" Natsu was taken back. "Dude, what's up with you tonight? You're usually super cool with scoring any baskets!"

"Sorry, sorry..." Jellal turned the other way, and kept a small glance fixated on Coach Scarlet. "My mind is elsewhere at the moment..."

Natsu shrieked with a high yell. "Yea well get it back in here! RUFUS IS COMIN' RIGHT FOR YA!"

Jellal snapped back into the game, and watched Rufus fake him out with a quick pass to the power forward, Dobengal. The shorter than usual post player charged it up the middle, but had no luck around the rim the moment Gajeel and Laxus closed in on him.

"HA!" Gajeel cackled as he snatched the ball from the opponent's hands and tossed it to Gray. "Better grow a few more inches if you wanna be a real post player, fella!"

Chapati rang out again. "And Gray Fullbuster takes it down the court, but oh wow a spin move again on Rogue Cheney brings him out towards the far corner. He takes a jump but wow! He passed it low instead to the center Laxus who slams it away for an easy dunk! The Fairies improve their lead to 5 as the clock trickles away in the third quarter.

"Time out!" Coach Minerva yelled from her sideline as the lead was growing wider and wider between her and the Fairies. She brought her team in with an expression filled with anger, but before her captain made it to the bench, Sting was clearing his mind on a slower than usual run back.

"Ugh, M'Lady never calls time-outs on her own...Man, what gives!?" He tried to assess the damage. "You guys were all fighting like siblings when you came out at half. Now you have the same chemistry you did when you beat Tartaros last year?"

"Duh!" Natsu gave Sting a friendly pat on the back, and ran back to his own bench. "It's cause we care about each other! Why else would we get so mad when we argue?"

"..." Sting was totally confused as he listened to his young coach yell into each of their faces. He wanted to hear her out, but kept his mind solely on Natsu.

_"Would I play that well if my team were like Magnolia? Or should I think about switching my roster up...?"_

* * *

"AND THAT'S THE BALL GAME! THE MAGNOLIA FAIRIES WIN THEIR SECOND TROPHY IN A ROW, BEATING SABER CITY 98-78!"

"BAHAHAAAAAA!" Natsu sat on top of his teammates' shoulders as his hands flailed around in the air like a maniac. "42 POINTS! I WAS FIRED UP TONIGHT!"

"Geeze..." Gray was happy for his friend, but the loud yelling and shaking movement was making him want to drop the hot headed Natsu hard on the court. "And we agreed to carry him like this why...?"

"Good Point." Gajeel's face was turning an angry shade of red as his right fist was growing with size. "Someone find Blondie to take him away from us. Otherwise I'll send him crashing into the stands like those chairs I threw earlier in the year."

"That'd be a start..." Laxus was trying to figure out why he decided to help carry Natsu around with the others. He usually skipped out on this sort of stuff. "Well, I guess everyone deserves a night like a king every once in a while. Even this idiot."

"True." Jellal felt awkwardly happy for his friendly point guard and team fire ball. "Let Natsu have his moment now, and we can all fight even harder for ours come next season."

"Found you guys!" Levy McGarden joked with the tower and trailing Fairies as she came across them down on the court with Lucy and the others. "You were all so good tonight!"

"No kidding!" Gajeel took all the weight of Natsu from the others, and tossed him over his back to smack him hard against the floor. "We were just trying ta earn you an easy off season, short stuff. Maybe that'll help ya from becoming too much of a workaholic."

Gray laughed while Natsu made a thud against the ground, and turned back with a cautious expression. "Yea, but I mean two in a row is less impressive. No need for a giant..."

"GRAY MY LOVE! YOU WON ANOTHER RING JUST FOR ME!"

"JUVIA!?" Gray could only get her name to come out as she tackled him into making the second thud in a row after Natsu, all while stealing his face for herself. The cheeky cameramen still tethered to the sideline made sure to catch their saucy, romantic embrace for the live TV audience at home.

Gajeel just laughed. "Heh, can you imagine how that nut-job Juvia will react when he gets her a real ring?"

"I'm not sure..." Levy's cheeks flushed watching the two lovers enjoy themselves on the floor (or just Juvia as Gray was grasping for air at that point.) Meanwhile, she was quickly caught in a tight embrace by her own close friend, Gajeel moments after.

"Ahh...!" Levy accepted the hug from Gajeel, but waved him away just as they got close to one another. "Not too hard! I'm feeling kind of upset right now. Kind of just hit me after half time."

Gajeel noticed her with a hand on her stomach, and grinned as Makarov and the other drinkers tailed them from behind. "Hah, what, getting a little trashed for the big final game there, small fry?"

"You could say that..." Levy took a deep breath, and gave him a final hug, either way. "Good job by the way."

"GAJEEL!" Natsu threw off several cheering fans that were trying to pick him up as he yelled in a rage of anger. "WAY TA JUST ROLL ME OFF YOUR BACK LIKE SOME SORT OF FLOUR SACK!"

"Natsu, it was kind of your fault." Lucy admitted that as she covered her chuckling face. "After all, you made the rest of them carry you off the court."

"I did?" Natsu scratched his head. "I just assumed none of them wanted to carry Erza off instead. She can be kind of heavy sometimes even when we're all lifting her. Almost as heavy as you!"

"Yea, I walked right into that one." Lucy paused for a moment and reevaluated her relationship status as Wendy came up to see her champion brother too, along with Romeo.

"Congrats, Natsu! You were amazing tonight!"

"Totally! I couldn't stop watching!" Romeo still acted awkward when trying to talk with Natsu. On one hand it was very exciting for him to see his celebrity idle so often, but on the other hand it grew odd every now and then knowing he had been dating that same player's sister for over a year now.

Natsu just laughed. "Of course I did! I was playing ta win for all of you guys!"

"Don't let him fool you with sweet words, Wendy." Lucy covered a grin with her hand. "He tried making a weight joke about me a little bit ago."

"Yea , I'd figure he'd try to ruin the moment with some sort of mean tease." Wendy was still embarrassed to call the lovable pink haired athlete her brother, especially when he liked to bully all of them for fun.

Lucy was going to hug Natsu earlier, but now held her hands down in a distasteful mood while Natsu wrapped her up in a large bear hug.

"Thanks for comin' down ta see me, Lucy! I hope ya liked the game!" Natsu let her breath again, and gave her a brighter smile than he had the moment they won the game.

"Awe, well you know I enjoy seeing you after games!" Lucy tried to admit the truth as she picked annoying bits of confetti off of her hair and face. "42 points is really something special to celebrate too!"

"No kidding!" Natsu was beaming. "You can write up an interview from me on our ride home! I think you're gonna like what I have ta say tonight, also."

"I'll say!" Lucy was already trying to work out the headline in her head. "I mean your stats tonight were all over the place, but offensively your best quarter was..."

"Yea yea...mumbo jumbo later." Natsu waved a hand in her face and turned her sideways. "Look!"

Lucy spun around to find the FBA stadium officials were now wheeling out a small wooden stage through a light sea of confetti. Commissioner Arcadios held the newest shiny Vermillion Trophy in his hands as Jude Heartfilia and league ambassadors followed them from behind to gather the crowd's attention.

"Can I have your attention please!" Arcadios rallied the people on the court together, and waited for Jude to stand at his side with a collection of loose Fairies before carrying on. "It is with great pleasure that I present the fifty first Mavis Vermillion Trophy to her founding franchise, and two-time league champions. We'd like to honor this successful team of basketball with yet another cheer of congratulations as they claim their second title in a row. Please, let us all honor the team of the hour! The Magnolia Fairies!"

Fans from all over the arena celebrated at top volume while the basketball kings claimed their second trophy in two years. Jude Heartfilia claimed the trophy in honor as the team owner, and turned to speak with his crowd. "I cannot say how much this sport means to me. I cannot say how much the city of Magnolia means to me. I was not born in Magnolia, but I always honor it as my home town every time I get to represent it in this sport. This city, this team, and these players truly mean the world to me! Ladies and gentlemen, keep your heads high, because you've truly earned it this time around."

Everyone raised their volume again after his heartwarming speech, and soon after, Jude passed the trophy to Makarov's replacement. "And here is the coach of the hour, Erza Scarlet!"

"Thank you, sir." Erza took the trophy, and felt a small tear roll down her cheek. "I am quite a humble person, so I'd like to give all my honor to my team for playing so well this time. You did a fantastic job, gentlemen, and I can't wait to claim our third title next year."

"Ah come on!" Laxus of all people yelled back to his coach. "You're the youngest coach ever to win that trophy. Give us more of a speech than that!"

"I suppose you're right." Erza said with a sly expression, now looking down at the trophy like a new born baby. Her eyes were quick to match a puppy dog's expression as she eyed her new cherished toy. "Perhaps I'll have to fall asleep with it to keep my dream going...oh it is an adorable little trophy, after all!"

"Aaaand she made it weirder." Gray was now standing as he softly clapped for his head coach. "I was almost waiting for her to call it her child, or something."

"Yea, knowing her she'll give it a name." Gajeel cackled beside him. "That or just call it little Mavis."

"Yikes!" Jellal calmly chimed in with an awkward chuckle. "That's more affection than I've received all throughout the playoffs."

"And people think _I'm_ the crazy one!" Juvia clutched Gray's arm tightly as she covered her giggling mouth. "I'd obviously name the trophy after _you_, my darling!"

"Right." Gray was quick to reply. "And that's why you'll never coach in the FBA."

"Awe, Erza is so sweet...I think?" Lucy tried holding an awkward smile as she had an arm around a cheering Natsu. The pink haired boy was slow to catch on to Erza's affection for the trophy, and instead turned to whisper in his girlfriend's ear.

"Ya think that's sweet, just wait 'til my speech! It'll blow you away!"

"Ehh...?" Lucy reared her head back in an even more awkward expression. "Like what, you're gonna pretend the trophy is your baby too?"

"What, agh no!" Natsu replied with frustration. "My MVP speech! Laxus one-uped us all last year by bringing Mirajane into it. I got quite the fire bomb planned for mine this time around."

"Awe, I never took you to be the creative-type." Seeing Natsu hatching his plan made her blush with delight. "To be honest I'm trying to remember what Laxus even did last year..."

"Don't worry." Natsu let go of her and made way for the back of the wooden stage. "It'll be old news soon enough."

A sweat drop ran down the back of Lucy's head as she relieved a great sigh. "Natsu Dragneel. The world's best basketball player."

"Is he? Well at least in Fiore!" Mirajane Strauss stepped up to giggle at Natsu as well while Lucy was still standing in the same place. "He's certainly the sweetest!"

"How nice of you to say!" Lucy tapped Mira on the arm with her elbow. "Although, I'm sure Laxus wouldn't appreciate you saying that."

"I guess." Mirajane pondered that. "He probably wouldn't agree with it. I guess he did propose to me during his speech last year!"

"Oh right, he did do...!" Lucy's mind finally found the old romantic imagery of Laxus getting down on one knee after winning a trophy for the Fairies, and remembered seeing Mira's blushing face as all the cameras in the world of sports caught their engagement in full view.

Then, her eyes grew larger and larger with every step she saw Natsu make toward the stage. Her heart stopped performing beats, and soon Mira grabbed Lucy by the arm just like Natsu did before.

"Oooh! What if Natsu does the same thing for you! I bet you'll pass out if he proposes!"

"Aha...ahahahaha." Lucy's was quietly hyperventilating as the crowd drew in closer. Her father took the microphone from Erza, and now turned with a new trophy given to him by Arcadios in his open hand.

"And who could forget to mention one important piece of our organization. It took me quite a while to warm up to our team's pointguard, but after earning our fair city two championship trophies, I could find no other person on our team to give this trophy to...that is as long as he doesn't hand it away like he tried doing last year!"

Jude turned to find a beaming Natsu approach him from behind, and as he handed over the trophy, he left his hand out for a handshake. "Natsu Dragneel! Congratulations on being named the FBA MVP!"

"Ah, papa, Jude! I'm glad to finally earn it!" Natsu tossed Jude's handshake aside, and wrapped him in a warm Dragneel hug while the crowd cheered with delight. Natsu leaned up to the slightly taller Heartfilia and spoke quietly for only the owner to hear.

_"Ya know, you're a pretty good dad for Lucy, and our team. Thanks for drafting me last year, buddy!"_

_"Natsu...?"_ Jude had no idea how to accept those kind words, and apparently never have to as Natsu stepped forward, and took the mic from his hands.

"It's good to be the two-time champions of Fiore! And even cooler to be the back-to-back league MVP...I mean only after I gave up the award to Laxus last year, that is!"

"Ass..." replied the large Magnolia center. The crowd laughed, but Laxus simply rolled his eyes as he stood by a cheery Mira and extremely pale Lucy. Meanwhile, the blonde girlfriend of Natsu Dragneel realized her heart was now fluttering faster and faster, and her hands balled up into fists as she tried to slow her blood pressure down to not scare Mirajane.

_"Oh my god, how did Mirajane handle doing this last season...oh right, it was spontaneous. Ugh...why could it not be spontaneous this time around...? Wait, because it isn't. He isn't proposing...he's just going to say something stupid like he always does...or what if he calls me up on stage for a kiss? Even that would be weird...and even more embarrassing! My dad is even on stage with him!_"

Her eyes followed Natsu's every move on stage, and just in a small amount of time, her heart started to slow as red blush filled up her face.

_"O-or I mean...I guess it would be kind of nice if he was proposing. We'd be all over the news...all over the country. Natsu and Lucy...Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel...do I like the sound of that...? I mean...I do really want to be with him...do I want to be with him forever?"_

Natsu finished his celebration by giving Arcadios a hug, and just as he put the microphone to his mouth again, he paused to take a breath, and delivered a very sly wink to Lucy, tagged with a soft smile while he waited for her to react.

_"Maybe..."_ Lucy's face lit up with a soft smile too._ "Maybe I would like that."_

Mira was one of the few people to notice it too, and grabbed Lucy even tighter as the Dragneel boy spoke into the mic for the entire stadium and world to hear.

"Fiore basketball might be my one real love...but we're not stopping here! I'm officially announcing my run for the _Fiore National Basketball_ team in this year's OLYMPIC GAMES!"

"Ehhhh...?"

Lucy only heard her own flat expression as the rest of the stadium filled with noises of exuberant cheers and surprising gasps. No league rookie or sophomore in the history of the FBA had ever declared running for the Fiore National Team. It was an extremely selective process that only the head coach and his staff could decide upon. Occasionally they took younger players on their roster, but coming out as confident as Natsu did surely lit the world of basketball on fire.

On the other hand, Lucy Heartfilia was taken back by another bit of bizarre reality.

"Ooh." Mira sounded rather displeased with herself, and was not sure whether to tighten her embrace on Lucy's arm or not. "Well that's a bit awkward...maybe I over-read the situation."

"Uh-huh..." Lucy's eyes were like tiny brown dots now, and her head slowly lowered to a downward forty-five degree angle. Her mouth had flatlined for a moment, then words quietly poured out. "I'm going to go lie down in my car. Tell Natsu that's where he can find me when he's ready to leave..."

Mirajane reluctantly let go of Lucy's arm as the confused blonde wondered through the crowd alone for the exit tunnel, and kept a saddened expression on as she watched her depressed friend leave. _"Oh Lucy...hang in there! He really is a sweet guy, you know it!"_

Someone else knew it too, only he had never seen Natsu act "sweet" in his direction in many, many years. Zeref Dragneel stood alone in a luxury booth on the middle ring of the stadium as he watched his so-called "brother" dance around on stage like a lunatic.

"Oh Natsu. So passionate, and so naïve. You haven't changed even after all these years." He raised a now finished wine glass as he prepared a lonely, empty toast for his long-lost sibling.

"I suppose I'll see you in ERA this summer. Good luck, little brother."

* * *

**I used a little inspiration from one of my favorite Fairy Tail episodes on this one (episode 50!) Also, a friendly reminder to new and old readers: I love both versions of the Fairy Tail anime, but I always write from the dub's point of view (Cherami Leigh and Todd Haberkorn's voices just stick in my head so well! As do the other Funimation actors') **

**For New Fans: Welcome! I hope you enjoy the sequel to my most successful story on my page! I normally don't write modern/AU's for Fairy Tail...usually too angsty for me. But, I found a formula I enjoyed for story 1, and thought it was time to deliver a new sequel. Also, if any of the sports jargon gets to be too much a simple Google search will do wonders! Enjoy!**

**For Old Fans: GUYS! I promised you a sequel! I mean...it's been three years, and this story probably won't have as big of a following now, but...yea!**

**More to come when I write it. My old audience always got mad when I worked myself too hard to crank out chapters...this story will be following a more "lackadaisical" release schedule. Either way, stick around, and I'll get chapter 2 posted when I can!**


	3. 3 - Teamwork Evaluation

**Author's Note: Hey gang! Here's number 2! I want everyone to know that this story will still be released! I'm just taking my time on it...however, since this is the week of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd let out a slightly romantic chapter 2 for the occasion.**

**Not to mention, this coming summer (August 2020) will be the next Summer Olympics! That'll be the perfect pairing for my story, so expect this release to last most of the year.**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Three - Teamwork Evaluation

* * *

"Congratulations once again on the big win, my love! You played so wonderfully, last night!"

Juvia held onto Gray's arm with a glowing beam hanging on her face as the young couple walked slowly down a brightly lit street in late-night Magnolia. The Fairies had all returned home to their hometown after winning the big championship prize two-years in a row, and each player was trying to enjoy the night in their own special way, with their own special people.

Gray kept a smile attached to his face as well as he walked with Juvia on a comfortable March night toward a busy restaurant district on the western side of downtown. "Thanks again, Juvia. Glad to see you've calmed down since the celebration last night.

Juvia let a guilty shade of red take her face as she tightened her grip on her beloved's right arm. "Oo-oh I just couldn't help myself! Whenever the team goes out to celebrate, I always have to make sure they know that you're my adorable hunk and nobody else's!"

"Yea...more with the pet nicknames..." Gray sighed, and looked out to the busy street as most of the people walking or driving by seemed to be sporting their best reds and yellows tonight. "Geeze. I wonder if all these guys were true Fairies fans, or if they're just jumping on our bandwagon now that we won their city a few new trophies."

"Hmm." Juvia put a finger to her chin. "Well, statistically I hear that a championship team's fanbase is said to grow exponentially after earning a new trophy. Any praise is good praise I suppose!"

"If you say so..." Gray just shook his head and laughed. "As long as I keep getting paid with new fans coming into the fold, I'll be fine with it."

Juvia agreed. "Not to mention my restaurant hit a sales record last night during your game! I decided to have the staff change the usual luxurious atmosphere into a perfect viewing party for Fairy fans."

"Yea, I wonder how that will affect your regular customer ratings." Gray pondered. The couple's lavished seafood restaurant _Juvia _sat at the edge of Lake Magnolia, where the downtown scene rested at the edge of the crystal lake waters. Juvia was the official owner and operator, but her FBA all-star boyfriend helped fund the operation with his rather affluent professional basketball paychecks.

"Well, I'd hope it shows them how my restaurant is dedicated to supporting its local culture and climate, including its professional sports teams. With another great quarter of revenue, you may be able to finally buy real-estate in West Gate!"

"Maybe. I don't mind the apartment life right now. Let's me get some savings in the bank before making stupid decisions." Despite his wealthy life-style as a professional athlete, Gray did do a very excellent job at managing his earnings. That is with the exception of loaning his unlawful girlfriend the capital to start her business, which he still has no regrets in doing. His agent, Wakaba Mine from the nation-wide _Smoke & Flame_ agency told him that it would be a bad idea to loan someone money outside of a marriage, but Gray ignored his partner's concern, and went with his heart to support Juvia.

"I'm not sure I'd make the best homeowner anyway..." Gray looked out to all the brightly lit dots scattered about the black lake to their right as the large body of water came into view. Juvia looked at her beloved with concern, and hardly noticed their arrival at her five-star luxurious restaurant.

"Well, looks like we're here!" Juvia graciously opened the door to the dimly lit public space for the FBA player, who awkwardly accepted as he noticed the building was almost empty of people.

"Hey, Juvia. I think a business only does well if people actually show up to eat there. Where are all the customers? It should be packed right now." He was not insulting her, but Gray did show concern that her well-raved eatery was left virtually empty upon their arrival.

"Hehe...you are right, my dear, but when the owner's boyfriend win's the city a trophy, she decides to close the doors to the public, and create a magical night of romance and wonder for him instead!"

She waved over to the two people working behind a wine bar in the distance, and they both smiled back to alert the other staff. A small light popped on over one of the back entrances to the terrace seating space, and led the two of them back out to the beautiful nighttime air of Magnolia as a table waited for them along a balcony overlooking the water.

Gray was too busy gawking at the fine dark wood flooring, polished metal furniture with extravagant fabric upholstery, and posh open concept lighting of the main dining area to notice their walk toward the glass exit to the terrace. This was both the best restaurant in town to eat at, and also to look at in his mind. Taverns like Fairy Tail had nothing against this fine-dining experience, and for once, he could silently appreciate where his money was being spent.

"This is a pretty restaurant." Gray smiled as the garcon pulled out a chair for him to sit, only after making sure the lady was properly seated as well. "Guess the name _Juvia_ fits it pretty well, after all."

"Quit being silly, my Darling!" Juvia covered her blushing face as she tried to hide her brightly covered emotions to carry on with normal conversation. "Any way, I really do think you should start looking into buying property in West Gate. If that fowl Natsu could manage to get a house built there, then surely you could build an even greater palace for you and I to live at!"

"Eh, I didn't realize it was a competition for you..." Gray politely rolled his eyes, and took a sip of his water. "I'm terrible with doing paperwork for stuff...I just make everything complicated."

"Why is that?" Juvia looked concerned. "For that matter, you still haven't fully taken on an ownership role for my restaurant yet. We were supposed to be co-owners, remember?"

"Eh, you do so well on your own." He admitted. "I'd just make things worse, trust me."

"Gray, my dear..." Juvia started to sound slightly sad. "You're so uncomfortable with business work that you gave me your loan for the restaurant in cash. Please, let's talk about this for just a moment."

Gray turned to look toward the door as the waiter slowly came to join them for their first orders. He sighed, and grabbed the menu from the center of the table. "Eh, I'd much rather just talk about that game last night. That's something I understand a little better."

* * *

Now, we gather at the Fairy Tail pub across town, where other members of the legendary basketball team are ordering a fresh round of drinks in celebration of their victory the night before. Gajeel, Levy, Mirajane, and even Laxus were all raising a glass to toast for another job well done, while fans surrounding the rest of the tavern cheered in support, but made sure to leave the couples alone for polite privacy.

"Hah!" Gajeel took his new beer down in one go as he slammed the bottle hard on the table, nearly breaking it in his grip. "This oughta be a great crowd for karaoke night! A few more drinks and I'll be fit enough to try out a few new songs!"

"Well, try them out after Mira and I leave." Laxus replied with a rude expression guarding his face. "No offense, Levy. You brought him here, you're stickin' around with him once his singing comes out."

"Oh, I think she likes hearing her man get up on stage to sing his tunes!" Mirajane cheerfully raised her glass again, and nudged Levy on the arm as the blue-haired General Manager for the Fairies laughed with an awkward air. "I almost had him sing at our wedding last year!"

Levy put her water down, and tilted her head slightly in her reply. "Eh, I try to support Gajeel's...talent...as much as I can. Maybe skipping the wedding was a good idea, though. Too many faces."

Gajeel ignored her, and waved at the waiter for a new drink. "Nah, you're just mad cause I don't allow duets in my acts. Once I pick out the song though, ain't nothing gonna keep you off the stage with me, Shorty."

"I'd rather not embarrass myself anymore in this town than I already do..." Levy took another sip of her water, and then looked over at the other couple. "So, I hear your new house is pretty big, guys. I see you've decided to buy instead of build?"

"A house is a house." Laxus quickly stepped in. "I didn't need anything fancy. I just took a lower hill home in West Gate park."

"He's so modest!" Mira snuggled up with Laxus's arm as she leaned a head on his shoulder. "I told him he's going to be jealous once he sees the size of Natsu's new place, but he didn't listen!"

"Yea, I hear Natsu bought a lot on the higher end of the hill." Levy replied. "He must be pretty close to Jude at that point!"

"Whatever..." Laxus rolled his eyes. "If anyone could even be considered _close_ to Jude." The guy owns the most property in the development. Even his closest neighbors see his fence more than they see him."

"Yea, knowing Salamander he'd tear down a chunk of fence just to cozy up with the guy." Gajeel raised his empty bottle again, and shouted over to the waitstaff. "Oy! I need another drink, damn it! It's third time I've asked, now!"

Mirajane put her hands on the table, and carried on talking. "Jude owns so much land up there! His property even extends to Magnolia Lake! I'm not even sure what all he's fit in, but everything that I've seen of his is absolutely gorgeous!"

"It really is." Levy laughed. "However, his own daughter would say, otherwise."

"Right." Laxus took a sip of whiskey. "Talk about being born to the wrong family. Blondie was right to get a dorm at Magnolia U for the year. Maybe then her little blog thing will actually build up a real reputation."

"I don't think it has to anymore!" Mirajane said with delight. "After all, she's only a freshman, but she's already in-charge of the school newspaper's sports section!"

"Yea, but she didn't get that on merit." Laxus chuckled. "Ol' Heartfilia's check is working that position all its own."

"That's not true." Levy was quick to defend her best friend. "Lucy is a pretty impressive writer for her age. I bet she'll earn quite the spot for the Olympic Games coverage!"

"Agh, don't remind me about that crap!" Gajeel had enough of waiting, and got up to get a drink, himself. "That idiot Salamander had me stressed out the moment he opened his dumb mouth at last night's ceremony."

Levy and the others watched her boyfriend and star Power Forward storm off for the bar, and a small sweat-drop rolled down the back of her head in uncertainty. "I really hope Dr. Gaebolg selects Gajeel for the Olympics...I hope all of you get the chance to play in Era!"

"Yea, yea...the Olympics are fun and all..." Mirajane shooed that conversation away and leaned over the table. "Anyway...what about you and Gajeel!?"

Levy backed away as far as her booth would let her, even though Mirajane was only talking at a whisper. "Wha-? What do you mean...?"

"Duh?" Laxus looked out the window, and never made eye contact with Levy. "You're drinking water again. You've skipped out on drinks for a month now."

Mira nodded. "Plus, you were grabbing your stomach a lot last night! So...what's up!?"

"O-oh...well, yea, there is _that_..." Levy took a deep breath before carrying on. She was trying to hold this discussion in as long as possible, and even neglected to tell her best friend, Lucy, about it for over a month now.

"Gajeel and I..." Levy woefully came to her defeat. "Are sort of _expecting_."

"Oohoh!" Mira leapt slightly out of her chair, and grabbed both of Levy's hands in pure joy. "I knew it! Congratulations, Levy!"

"Yea..." Laxus clenched his jaw down. "Not even married, and you're loading the shotgun."

"Mhmm..." Levy gave them both a reply without using words, but kept her eyes slightly on an angry looking Laxus still glaring out the window. It was even more specific for Levy to keep the conversation down around Mirajane and Laxus, because they too were trying to start a family of their own, but several issues were getting in the way, and the star center for Magnolia was starting to blame matters on his own masculinity.

"Anyway, we're still finding out about the gender and all that. Nothing really worth talking about, right now. Hehe..." Levy awkwardly shifted the conversation into another direction as she took a third sip of her water, and let a drunken Gajeel join the ground again after getting a new beer.

* * *

"Heehee! Here's ta trophy number 2 for the Magnolia Fairies!"

Natsu Dragneel rambunctiously downed a double shot of well-aged bourbon inside the extravagant office that housed the wealthy owner of the Magnolia Fairies.

"Hmm." The owner of the franchise, Jude Heartfilia, kept his eyes closed in thought as he slowly sipped his well-measured glass of the same liquor, all while trying to give Natsu the benefit of a good toast. Both men seemed to enjoy their beverage of choice rather well.

"Bleh!" Jude's daughter and close friend to Natsu, Lucy Heartfilia, was however not as much of a fan of the bourbon as they were. She felt her throat burn as it passed into her stomach, and tried to hold down a fiery bubble of air as she nearly coughed the drop of alcohol back into her shot glass. "I'm not sure how you're able to regularly sip this, dad, but I for one did not inherit that trait from you."

"Hmph." Jude nodded, and took a second drink. "I suppose I could be thankful of that. More than I can say about our man of the hour."

"Hey, pal..." Natsu was off pouring himself a second round when his ears suddenly perked up. "I've won you two back-to-back titles, fair and square. The least you can do is act happy to celebrate with me!"

"Idiot..." Lucy sighed as she noticed Natsu refilling her smaller shot glass. "Does he not know that my dad was the one who inv..."

"Quick! Down it, Lucy, before ya start thinkin'!" Natsu charismatically took a swig from his shot glass, and laughed as his girlfriend took another drink. He watched as she finally leaned back in her chair with a burning stomach.

"I'm done. This is ridiculous! Why am I even here!? I wanted to go out with Levy and the others across town!"

"Duh!" Natsu howled. "Cuz I talked your old man into letting us party with him here!"

Lucy sighed. "No, as you rudely interrupted me a moment ago, I was trying to say that my dad..."

Jude stopped them both, and tossed the most recent copy of Magnolia's newspaper aside. "It was just meant to be a small get together. I didn't want to keep the two of you too late this evening. I've been known to show a rather cold expression once the off season occurs. Two back-to-back titles has made things around here different. A bit warmer, if you would."

"That's an understatement..." Lucy rolled her eyes, and lead over to Natsu. "He used to take month-long trips out of the country every year after the end of the season. Sometimes I wasn't even invited!"

"Harsh!" Natsu laughed, and decided to pull a Jude by pouring his own regular-sized high ball glass of the rye whiskey to drink from instead. "Well it means a lot that you're still stickin' around to manage the team for us, buddy!"

"Yes." Jude nodded, and agreed as he pulled up a small lacrima tablet to show Natsu a brief bit of news. "I also figured you'd like to see the final stats from last night's championship match-up."

"Ooo gimmie!" Natsu took the tablet from Jude's hand and started to slowly scroll through the list of numbers as Lucy rolled her eyes, and un-crossed her legs to stand.

"Okay, well I'm heading to the car. Natsu, I know you're not a fast reader, so take your time on the stats." She walked around the desk to kiss her dad on his head, then made her way for his door leaving the two of the Fairies alone in the office.

"Hehe!" Natsu smirked as he grabbed his glass. "Lucy was right, I did make it into the 40's! Oh man, that picture of Saber City is not kind at all!"

"I agree." Jude reflected on the photography last night before brushing it all aside. "Natsu, before you leave...let's talk."

"Hmm?" Natsu moved the Lacpad from his face, and raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Mgh." Jude made a soft grunting noise, and quickly cleared his throat to carry on. "Natsu. Apparently, you're to be my new neighbor here soon."

"Oh you bet I am!" Natsu tossed the hardware onto the desk, and kicked back into his chair. "Construction starts later this month! I managed to get a lot right by your gate entrance!"

"I saw." Jude had no idea how to react the moment he heard that news, and decided to refill his glass for the time being. "You need to make sure that you understand the neighborhood you're moving into. West Gate Park is the most prestigious neighborhood in both Magnolia and Eastern Fiore as a whole. The salary of a top FBA player is quite impressive, but I do hope you're staying diligent in your savings as well. You do have a younger sister living with you, after all."

"Ah, don't worry about that." Natsu waved his hand. "Wendy practically raises herself. Plus, now that I'm next door ta Lucy, I can just have her pick Wendy up for school!"

"Natsu." Jude sighed again. "Lucy graduated from high school last year, remember? She's living at Magnolia University."

"SHE'S LIVING ON CAMPUS!?" Natsu was taken aback. "And she never even told me!?"

"She wasn't trying to hide anything from you." Jude admitted. "Being new to the school was enough to weigh her down this year. Bringing a professional athlete to her dormitory house every weekend would just add more stress to her already busy life."

"I guess..." Natsu frowned. "I suppose that's the reason we mainly hung out at my place this past year. Ta think I made her drive away from campus to hang out with me."

"Lucy is the kind of person to give more than most people in relationships." Jude admitted. "She's a selfless soul. It's almost a relief that she..."

"What?" Natsu leaned forward in his chair. "She what?"

Jude paused for a moment, and took the rest of his drink down in a single go before making eye contact with his star point guard. "Natsu, I thank Lucy's mother every day that she found someone she can be so close with."

"Really?" Natsu let those words sink in as he lowered back down into his seat. "Thanks for telling me, but you two have known each other since she was born. Kind of weird that she just found you and..."

"Natsu...ugh." Jude shook his head with dissatisfaction. "I...want to thank _you_ for being such an important part of my daughter's life."

"Me?" Natsu's eyes grew large, and a cheery grin took his face as he showed his boss his best attitude. "Well gee, that means a lot! Thanks, Jude!"

"You're very welcome." Jude held up his hand, and gestured for the door. "Now don't keep the poor girl waiting. I'll have a limo take the two of you up town, and Caprico will drive your car home."

"Ahaha." Natsu gave him a few points with his fingers as he slid toward the door. "That's where Lucy gets her big brain! Thanks papa Jude!"

"One more thing..." Jude reluctantly started off into a direction he hated thinking about more and more as it passed through his mind. "Just because we will be living in the same neighborhood soon, we will not be 'hanging out' on a regular basis."

Natsu laughed while Jude attempted air-quoting his way through tough love, but the dense-headed Salamander just provided his usual grin and slid out the door. "I dunno! Wait 'til ya see how close we are!"

"Dear lord..." Jude let the door shut on Natsu as he slumped over his desk. "Layla, please don't let the boy torture me my entire life...to think that he's the one boy to come closest to marrying my daughter."

* * *

After touring the nightlife of Magnolia in its fullest of swing, we come across a rather quiet couple enjoying a night alone to themselves in a luxurious high-rise at the center of downtown. While all the Fairy players boasted nice apartments over their two year stretch with the team, Jellal Fernandes held the most opulent abode on the team, with a full view of Magnolia's central skyline, and a distant view of the lake beyond the last row of buildings.

He stood out on his penthouse balcony that saw the rest of the city dancing before his eyes, and dangled a generous glass of white wine off the railing as he leaned out to catch the fresh Magnolia night air. The temperature was rather chilly at that height, and his shirtless physique would normally be unable to handle the occasional breezes that rolled by, but enough alcohol was dulling his senses enough to keep a grin sealed to his face.

"A view I'd never wish to trade." Jellal sighed as he took another sip from his glass, and watched all the people and lights bouncing down below as the nighttime energy kept his spirits alive all the way up in his apartment.

"You're so handsome when you just stand there." He could hear Erza Scarlet replying to his call from inside his bedroom. Wind blew the curtains in and out of the doorway, but Jellal never turned around as he simply held her gorgeous image in his mind.

_"Another view I'd never trade away."_ Jellal felt lucky to be with Erza of all people, and valued her company more than anyone else he had ever known. He took a slow drink from his glass, and spoke back. "I take it you'd prefer to see me lying in bed next to you?"

"If it were up to me, I'd stay here with you every night for the rest of my life." Erza voice passed through the doorway.

"Hmph." Jellal lowered his head with a satisfied grin. He felt his face flush with emotion, and a small beating noise grew louder and louder in his chest. His shirt was still back in the bedroom, but he slipped on a pair of pants as he made his way outside to catch his breath a moment ago. They were usually a regular light pair of shorts, but his right pocket felt extra heavy tonight of all nights.

"It's quite funny how sometimes, even the most unlikely wishes come true after all." Jellal switched his drink to his left hand, and moved his right to his pants pocket as he started fondling something stationed inside.

Erza carried on in a pleasurable notion. "I can't take my eyes off you...I can't stop thinking about you."

"Erza..." Jellal was still facing the city, but her image burned inside his head brighter than her scarlet hair. He took a deep breath, and took the rest of his wine down in one gulp. Jellal quickly turned around, and fanned the rolling drapes out of his way as he swiftly lowered himself to a single knee.

"Erza I..."

"I love you...I love you so very much." Erza was brushing the FBA Championship trophy standing on her bedside stand with her index finger, and admiring its glow and shine that came off the embroidered nameplate. She felt so at peace gazing at its golden finish, that she had no idea Jellal was still in the room.

"_SHE WAS CALLING THE TROPHY HANDSOME!?"_ Jellal yelled inside his mind, and almost fell flat on his behind as he tried collecting the scene before him. Erza was caressing her new acquired hardware as if it were a child sitting next to their bed.

"Agh...ahem..." Jellal was taken away, and felt himself lower even more as he tried to clear his breath. "You've been talking to the trophy...this entire time."

"Hmm?" Erza leaned up, and noticed Jellal was back inside. "Oh, sorry Dear, but I thought you were still outside." She turned back to brush the trophy clean some more. "I was just getting lost in the miracle that was last night all over again."

"Miracle of last night." Jellal had no idea how to naturally react, so he kept his head down, and laughed to himself. "Funny how miracles work. You never really see them coming, then when they open up before your eyes, you're lost in word and breath."

"I'm glad you understand." Erza leaned up, and turned to address her man. "I apologize, I can move the trophy into the living room if it's becoming too much of a..."

As Erza was leaning up, her spine froze as her skin tingled with the cool air from outside. She was bare underneath the covers, and pulled the soft cotton sheets up more and more as her eyes matched them with a bright white color, and her mouth nearly fell to her lap as she felt no words coming out from her lips.

Jellal Fernandes was kneeling on the ground in front of a windswept doorway overlooking the vibrant nightlife of Magnolia. A handsome grin took his face, and as his bangs brushed against his forehead, a soft sound left his voice.

"Erza Scarlet. I've been waiting too long to ask you one simple question."

* * *

**1\. Juvia owns a restaurant, but Gray is very stingy with business...and paperwork of any kind apparently.**

**2\. GaLe is expecting!**

**3\. Miraxus is...trying to expect?**

**4\. NaLu is NaLu. Sweet to its very core. Plus I'm having fun writing the relationship between Natsu, Lucy, and Jude. The housing scenario is going to be a blast!**

**5\. Ah Erza was sweet talking her trophy so much she almost missed the best night of her life. Seriously. I wrote this chapter a while ago, and sat down to edit it, and I actually fooled myself when I re-read Jellal talking to her through the doorway. Also, I wonder what the question was that he ended up asking her...? ;)**

**Until Next time! **


	4. 4 - Blast from the Past

**Author's Note: Oh good lord the world is coming to an end! I take a break from this story to finish up my crossover story between Sword Art Online and Star Wars, and next thing I know the COVID-19 crisis has me home from work and social distancing like never before! **

**I really hope everyone is doing okay, and that you all are staying healthy and safely following the protocol of whatever country or state you live in. Here in Ohio we are on lock-down, but now I have so much work done on my stories!**

**Like a new chapter today and tomorrow! Enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Four - Blast from the Past

* * *

It was starting to feel just like a regular Sunday morning, now. Even after all the excitement from the Fairies winning the championship game, Lucy knew things were bound to get slower once the season came to an end.

She also knew it was important for her to finish out her academic year as strong as possible. If she could hold her 4.0 by the end of the semester, and then take an internship opportunity in this year's Olympic Games, she would be a shoe-in as leading editor next year for the school newspaper.

"Ugh…This weekend hasn't been long enough! I wish it was just one day longer…" The blonde college reporter was finishing an early morning jog across the foggy yet beautiful campus of Magnolia University. A slight chill allowed her to keep her expensive _Heart-Kreu__z_ training wear on while she finished her work out, but the sun was rising more and more as the colder months were starting to turn warm for the season of spring just around the corner.

"Plus I'm not sure I'm ready to release the article for tomorrow's paper just yet. I still need to come up with a title." She was in-charge of MU's sports section for their school paper, and having direct access to the FBA finals game in downtown Crocus on Saturday left her with an easy paper to write, but perhaps it left too much procrastination lingering as well.

"_Fairies Earn Their Second Pair of Wings?_ Ugh…I'm never good with puns."

She sighed deeply to herself as she swiped her way into the luxurious dormitory housing her room for the year. It was the nicest spot on campus for underclassmen to live at, and combining this status with her excellent grades and wealthy background, Lucy Heartfilia was siting rather well in her first year of young adulthood. She came off the elevator, and turned the corner to open the door for her suite dorm room as she clicked the doorknob open.

"_The Fairy Tale Never Ends?_ I kind of like that! How about _'The Never Ending Fairy Tale is Alive and Well for Magnolia!'_"

"How about you try writing your headlines on a piece of paper like a normal reporter, instead of out loud like some amateur?"

Lucy's tired shoulders shrunk as she entered the dorm room to hear the prudish voice of her suitemate for the year answering her back. "Oh…didn't know you were still here, Brandish."

"Mhmm…" The girl in a room down the hall carried on as she flipped through a magazine while enjoying her warm morning bath. "Unfortunately I'm here in this abysmal public dorm until the end of the semester. I've been counting the days since the start of the year."

_"And people think *I'm* a rich snob!"_ Lucy thought to herself as she took off her pink jacket and hung it under her arm. The blonde heiress to the Heartfilia fortune was undoubtedly one of the richest students on campus, but the only other person who rivaled her for that title she had no desire in holding was Brandish Mu. Unlike the home-grown Lucy, this foreign student traveled all the way from Alvarez to study journalism at the top school in the world, but in her own opinion, Brandish felt like her family had made the wrong choice in sending her to this particular school in Magnolia, Fiore.

"I wouldn't call this place a public dorm…" Lucy attempted to carry on a normal conversation with the waspy girl like she always tried. "This is the premier dorm on campus. It's the only reason my dad allowed me to stay here for the year."

"The great Jude Heartfilia thinks this place was okay for his blonde little delight to stay in for an entire year? Maybe I've been incorrectly judging your family name all this time." Brandish's family was in charge of a large corporate media conglomerate back in the country of Alvarez. Brandish was duel-majoring in media publication and business for her undergraduate studies, and hoped to carry out the Mu family legacy of television broadcasting after graduation. "Anyway your cell phone was buzzing while you were away. I was going to check on who it was, but I realized I didn't actually care once the thing stopped ringing."

"How thoughtful." Lucy rolled her eyes, and carried on through her dorm hallway until she was cut off by Brandish exiting the bathroom, wearing nothing but an expensive set of lingerie and a fluffy white towel draped across her passive shoulders. Her emerald green hair was cut in a medium-length bob, but Lucy barely noticed as she raised her hands over her eyes to block out the view of her half-naked roommate.

"Could you please stop leaving the bathroom before your done changing!?" Lucy shrieked. "We're totally not family, remember?!"

"Oh trust me, that much is quite clear." Brandish stopped and turned on her heel as she placed one hand on her curvaceous hip. "But my apologies. I keep forgetting how self-conscious you are about your figure. I'll try harder to remember next time."

"Grrr…" Lucy's face was turning red with anger as he roommate shut the door to her private bedroom. "Looks like I'll be counting down the days now too…anyway, I wonder who's trying to call me so early in the morning?"

She shut the door to her room and sat down softly on her bed as she reached for her phone. It was still buzzing with text messages even as the clock ticked to 7:00. Lucy picked it up for a read, but felt a delightful smile cross over her face once she realized who it was.

"Right. The only person who would ever _want_ to talk with me this early in the morning…Natsu wants to grab brunch up town? Sign me up! Anything to get out the dorm with her royal highness still lingering around!"

* * *

The sun was now overhead, and the time read 10:30 on the clock as Natsu and Lucy sat outside at a table of four in the patio space of a high end restaurant in downtown Magnolia. Natsu wore a red shirt with jeans, and had an unusually out-of-season white checkered muffler tied loosely around his neck.

Lucy wore a very lovely blue dress, along with a light white sweater as she looked up at her boyfriend with one eyebrow raised. "Natsu, I know I put on a sweater this morning, but I only put it on because I get cold easily. It really isn't cold enough for _you_ to be wearing that thick scarf in March."

"Why not?" Natsu smiled back. "I love wearing this thing no matter the time of year!"

Lucy sighed. "It wasn't my proudest work ever...I still feel like I messed up the stitching."

"Nah, it's perfect!" Natsu grabbed it with a hand, and looked down at its oddly scale-like checkered pattern. "I think it's unique! Plus people always call me the _Salamander_, and my scarf even makes it look like I have scales!"

"Quite the imagination." That was precisely the reason Lucy made it look that way, but she never told him that explicitly as she just shook her head and smiled. "So anyway, do I get to meet some more of your college friends, today? I hope Haru and Ellie are doing okay!"

"Yea those two are fine." Natsu gave her a nod, and kept turning to look down both sides of the block as the busy foot traffic passed them by. "Haru still has his job at that weird company, and Ellie is staying at home with little Levin."

"I'm still so happy he made you the godfather." Lucy grabbed a glass of tea from the table as she cheered him on. "Hopefully we get to meet him soon!"

"I'm counting on it, but things are so busy I just don't…well hey, look at this guy!"

Natsu always tried to keep from breaking off his conversations with Lucy, but this time he failed to help himself as his arms spread wide while he stood from his chair. A black-haired boy who looked nearly identical to the pink-haired basketball player swayed through several chairs full of people as he crossed the patio space to greet Natsu in a tight hug.

"My long lost friend! It's good ta finally see ya again!" He wore a simple red workman's jacket, green paints, work boots, and a plain red and white t-shirt as he gathered Natsu in an embrace. He was also being followed by a very glitzy looking partner, who wore a short yet modest white dress accented by navy blue trimming, white heels, and matching white sunglasses to compliment her platinum blonde hair. She had a cell phone in one hand, but politely put it away as she embarrassingly looked over at the black haired boy's rambunctious entrance.

Her glasses came off, revealing two very pearly but sorry blue eyes. "Shiki, I know you're excited, but do you have to plow people over to see your friend…sorry about this, everyone!"

"Well hey!" Natsu let Shiki go and instantly embraced the other guest. "It's good ta see you too, Rebecca! I'm glad you guys could make it!"

"And you must be Lucy!" Shiki made no patience in waiting to greet the blond Heartfilia, and immediately walked around the table to lift Lucy from her seat in a great big hug. "I'm making new friends already!"

"Haha…I'm so embarrassed!" Lucy awkwardly replied as she tried to take in a breath through Shiki's tight hug. "Natsu never told me who we were planning on eating with."

"Don't worry, the same goes for me too!" The girl named Rebecca waved a hand at Lucy as they both sat down next to one another at the table. "Shiki never told me anything about today. I'm a little thankful for that though, since I get to eat dinner with a Heartfilia and a professional basketball player!"

"Yea, hey Rebecca maybe you should feature them in your next video!" Shiki sat down next to Natsu, and patted the FBA point-guard on the shoulder. "He can tell you all about the times we used to bully him back at Acalypha."

"Hmm?" Natsu raised an eyebrow looking at the girl. "You some kinda reporter? Funny! That's Lucy's major at the college here in town."

"Hold on." Lucy felt her eyes grow wide as she looked at the face of the girl to her right once again. "Are you Rebecca from the B-Cube channel _Blue Garden?_ You're like a really big deal right now!"

"The one and only!" She gave them both a wink, and smiled. "I'm super thankful for all the success I had this year. My sub numbers were looking really low this time, last year. Now I'm practically an influencer!"

"That's pretty cool." Natsu smiled. "It's like what Lucy does, but more modern and less boring! _Oww!_"

"Mgh..." Lucy stepped on Natsu's toe with her heal, and leaned forward to gather more information from Rebecca. "He is kind of right, though. The internet is really making things different in the world of media. Did you just decide to start up a life-help channel out of the blue?"

Rebecca shook her head and took a sip of water from a glass in front of her. "I actually studied digital media and public speaking at Acalypha. That's when I met Shiki and Natsu. They both played on the basketball team. I was actually a dorm mate with Ellie!"

"I forgot about that!" Shiki leaned back in his chair. "We had quite the little friend group back at that place, didn't we?"

Lucy was happy to hear how many close friends Natsu had in college. "I'm glad you enjoyed your time there! My first year is pretty far from ideal so far socially...so Shiki, what do you do for a living?"

The black-haired boy grabbed a large loaf of sweet bread from the table, and slabbed it down with cinnamon swirl butter. "Mechanic! Well, I guess I'm more of an Engineer, now...I actually build some pretty big parts for airplanes. All for a small little company called _Heartfilia Airlines_."

"Really!?" Lucy almost fell out of her seat. "You're an engineer for my dad's company? No wonder you both knew who I was!"

"No, that's not it." Rebecca had to admit she was familiar with Lucy's last name, but she needed to correct her familiarity. "We know about you because Natsu talks about you all the time with Shiki over the phone. He talks with Haru and your brother, Aki, too doesn't he?"

"I think so?" Shiki was tuning out as Rebecca took the loaf of bread from his hands and finished a majority of it in one bite while he tried to carry on the conversation. He finished talking while Rebecca started chowing down. "I try to stay in touch with all my friends as much as possible since we moved to Alvarez. That's where Rebecca grew up."

"Oh that's interesting." Lucy always enjoyed hearing about other countries. Alvarez was very similar geographically and culturally to Fiore, only it was much larger, and sat at the Western edge of the world. "I can only imagine how long that flight was. I hope we don't bore you!"

"Nogh ah awll!" Rebecca spoke with a full mouth, but swallowed quickly to quell her large appetite. "We came to meet you and Natsu for brunch, today, but we also wanted to catch the Magnolia victory parade since we missed the game."

"You're in luck!" Natsu proudly bragged. "It'll be twisting around the city, tomorrow. You'll get to see me holding the big trophy!"

"Yea, unless you drop it on the street." Lucy teased. "That, or Erza will try to fight you to see who gets to hold it...anyway, I hear basketball is pretty big in Alvarez?"

Rebecca nodded as she explained. "I guess it's even bigger back home than it is in Fiore, now, and you guys invented the sport! We've had a pretty dominant professional league for a decade, now."

Shiki chuckled and tapped Natsu in his ribs with his elbow. "Hehe, not to mention Alvarez always wins the gold medal in the Olympics. You still gonna stand by that announcement you made the other night, buddy?"

"I forgot about that!" Rebecca leaned forward with eyes like stars. "That was the number 1 trending story all weekend! I bet you were pretty impressed by that, Lucy."

"Ahehehe...sure." Lucy placed a hand behind her head, and rubbed it gently to try and forget that awkward night of her life last Friday. She then turned to see Natsu was starting to tune out of the conversation, and even looked to hold a mild scowl as he glanced down at the street.

She was almost concerned about his attitude, but the two guests stole her thoughts away. "Have you ever been out of Fiore, Lucy? I know I'd cash in on that name recognition just to travel the world!"

Lucy nodded. "Oh yea, I've been to several other countries around Ishgar, and a few island nations. The last place I visited was the principality of Veronica. It was a pretty exciting trip."

"So I've heard!" Rebecca was enjoying the conversation. "All the palm trees and crystal blue water…I'd love to film a video there. You need to come visit us in Alvarez sometime if you're so used to traveling!"

Shiki shrugged, and downed the last of his tea. "Yea, but only if you like traveling alone. There's no way Natsu's visiting Alvarez anytime soon, not with his brother being there and all."

The table grew extremely quiet after that comment. Lucy's eyes opened widely like saucers, while Natsu's head shot up from his hand as he looked right at Shiki.

Rebecca could feel her upper brow starting to grow warm, and her anger was starting to slightly boil as she tried to contain herself in front of her two new acquaintances.

"Shiki? Do you remember the one thing you told me not to bring up when I met Natsu for the first time?"

Lucy slowly started to realize why Natsu and Shiki were such good friends. She studied their similarly dense personalities as Shiki failed to collect the mood.

"Yea, that was senior year of college. I said don't mention Zeref...oh wait, I just mentioned Zeref."

The table grew quiet again, but suddenly Shiki burst into comedic tears as he leaned over to wrap Natsu in a sitting hug. "I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE FRIEND! NATSU! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

"Agh, just get off me, man!" Natsu growled as he tried to pry Shiki out of his seat. "I forgive ya just this one time since it's been so long!"

"Sounds good!" Rebecca sighed away the sweat from her brow as she reached for a menu and buried her face in all the delectable options plastered on the fine piece of paper. "Let's change the subject and get some food in our stomachs! I'm starving!"

"Aheheh, sure..._how can this girl still be so hungry after eating all our bread_...uhm, let's eat!" Lucy was honestly enjoying her new eccentric friends, but now she needed to know more about Natsu's secret.

"_Natsu's brother...Zeref? Where do I know that name from…?"_

* * *

The four quickly started to enjoy themselves once more, and after an excellent local brunch filled their young stomachs, they let the morning slowly turn to afternoon as they stood and left for the street.

"Well we'll try to stand somewhere you can see us, Natsu. I'll wave my arms real wide like this!" Shiki took both hands and circled them back and forth as he tried to make the local couple laugh.

He succeeded, but the gesture made Rebecca roll her eyes as she gave Natsu and Lucy a wink while holding her phone. "You'll have to follow my stream to catch yourselves on B-Cube! I ought to just let one of you borrow my phone to capture the feed in first-person!"

Lucy laughed and shook her head. "Honestly I wouldn't being going if I were dating any other player. The only reason I'll be riding along is because Natsu doesn't do so well on vehicles that he's not driving. He'll need someone to hold his wittle hand."

Shiki chuckled as Natsu received the teasing remark from Lucy. "Hehe, you still get motion sick? Too funny! I'll have to wait a while before I visit again and see when you lose that horrible habit."

Natsu was still smiling after their wonderful meal and reached out to hug Shiki. "Man, just stop by whenever you like! We'd love ta have you back in town!"

Lucy hugged Rebecca, and the boys and girls both exchanged hugs between one another as the locals waved goodbye to the visitors from Alvarez. Lucy kept up her spirits. "It was nice meeting you two! If Natsu makes the Olympic team I'll send you guys tickets for a game!"

"Can't wait!" Rebecca tugged a hold of Shiki's arm as they located a taxi cab down the block. "See you then!"

The yellow door shut, and Natsu and Lucy were left alone with passing strangers on the beautiful city streets of Magnolia. Lucy sighed, and laid her head on Natsu's shoulder. "That was really nice, Natsu. I usually hate trusting you when it comes to surprises, but you did right this time."

"I guess I did, didn't I?" Natsu boasted again as they turned for the street to locate their parallel parked car. "I'll have ta introduce you to Aki next! That's Shiki's brother. Oh and there's Weisz too, he was another player on our team at Acalypha. He's dating some girl named Homu..."

"Natsu, I'll be happy to meet any of your friends! Just try and plan it with me next time, okay?" She kept her head firmly on his muscular shoulder as she tugged on his arm through her own in a loop, but suddenly remembered the awkward turn the brunch conversation took in the middle of their meal.

"Um...Natsu?" Lucy lifted her head off his arm with a brief hesitation, and slowed their walk down quite noticeably. "Can I ask…?"

"Hmm?" Natsu was oblivious as he cut her short, and gave Lucy his full attention. "Something wrong?"

She wanted to bring up the topic from before in a delicate manner. Natsu had a brother this whole time and neither he nor Wendy ever said anything about it. Natsu keeping something a secret left her a little hurt, but Wendy? Something had to be pretty hidden for Wendy to keep important family secrets from Lucy. She told them both so much about her late mother and her relationship with Loke. And who was this Zeref? Lucy knew that name from somewhere quite recently.

"I don't know how to ask this..." Lucy took a deep breath and grabbed his hand tightly. "Can I ask you about…?"

_*BUZZ*_

Both members of the couple leaned back, and grabbed their cell phones as they each received a text message from two separate people. Natsu scratched his head as he noticed his teammate Jellal's name cross over his phone screen, and Lucy was left even more perplexed as she saw the name Erza Scarlet come over hers. Both friends looked at each other, then swiftly opened their phones.

"Huh. That's really weird. Erza wants to get dinner with a few of the girls, tomorrow after the parade." Lucy had no idea how to react as she looked out to the open air.

Natsu shrugged and turned his phone off as she continued walking. "Yea, Jellal just invited us to his apartment for Poker then. Some teammate bonding thing, I guess. Weird."

Lucy felt now was no longer a good time to discuss the topic of brothers or weird names like Zeref after getting these new invitations. Both continued discussing the bizarre encounter over their phones as they located Natsu's red sports car, and returned to its seats as they zipped down the street and back to the Heartfilia mansion to see Jude for the afternoon.

* * *

**So we met Lucy's college roommate, and yes I have decided to be cruel to the poor girl yet again by giving her Brandish as her roommate! Things can only get more exciting from here...**

**Shiki and Rebecca! _BAM!_ I love cheeky little cameos, and I hope you guys have decided to read the new Mashima manga _Edens Zero_. I've enjoyed it so far, but it's a little harder for me to stay engaged in it now and again. I'll always prefer Fairy Tail! But I wanted to add Shiki and Rebecca just for fun since Haru and Ellie showed up in my first story. Don't expect them to be regulars, they may only show up again in the end...this is a Fairy Tail story after all!**

**And now we find out that Natsu is keeping a secret from Lucy, how very rude! This has to play out poorly at some point. Find out tomorrow!**


	5. 5 - The Exciting News

**Author's Note: New chapter today! Oh man, this one is a doozy! I'll just leave you all to it...**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Five - The Exciting News

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia was pinning a pink heart-shaped earring to her left ear as she looked back at herself in the long vanity mirror of her luxurious childhood bedroom. After putting the matching one through her right, she tried to fluff her blonde hair up a few times to give it more volume, but the current method of pulling it back to the top was not going well in her opinion. She wore a tight but classy cocktail dress for the night ahead, and decided that her current hairstyle would have to do.

"Man…" She let her hair droop down to her side, then pulled it up to the single ponytail that she had worn for over a year now. "Why did Cancer have to take the day off? Of all the nights…" After tying in a blue ribbon, she spun around on her stool, and went to grab her phone resting on her bed.

"_That thing about Natsu and his brother is still getting to me…did Shiki mean Natsu has a real brother, or was it some weird basketball lingo? Is it a step-brother…?"_

"Lucy? Are you done up there?" Mirajane Dreyar yelled through the large Heartfilia house at her younger best friend all the way from the spacious living room on the lower floor. "I think Erza and Juvia are waiting on us!"

Levy yelled too. "Yea, and Cana's already gotten into your father's liquor cabinet…we may need to take a few waters with us."

Lucy smiled to herself as she rolled her eyes and shut the door to her bedroom. She found her way down the large staircase, and joined the others in the downstairs. "Sorry, I just decided to give up on styling my hair. I'll just have to be boring, tonight."

"Awe, it's fine, though. I like your hair the way it is. It makes you look older!" Mira replied with supportive approval. She wore a tight black dress similar to Lucy's, only it went down to her knees, all paired with soft red heels.

"Totally." Levy slowly stood from her spot on the couch and rose with ease. Her orange jacket and matching skirt were lined with dark blue trimmings, and the yellow ribbon in her hair kept it out of her face a she looked over to the two other girls. "It's a pretty nice look for someone who wasn't even trying."

"We can't all have 24 hour stylist." Cana chuckled from down on the main couch as she fisted a bottle of wine from Jude's expensive cabinets. She was staring lazily at the TV in her deep green dress that made Lucy's look rather modest. A fluffy scarf dangled unkempt from her lowered shoulders. "Besides, I doubt any guys will be looking at your hair, anyway..."

"Yea, I don't need to think about that…" Lucy's face turned colors as she tugged up on the low neckline to her dress, then checked her phone. "I kind of wish Natsu was coming just to keep all the guys off me, but knowing him he'd just get in a big fist fight with one of them and wind up arrested...Okay, we'll we're running a few minutes late, but I can be a quick driver when needed!"

"Shhh!" Cana sat up, and leaned forward as she raised a finger to the three girls. "Quiet…_he's_ on."

"_Well, that looked like quite the celebration in Magnolia earlier today, didn't it Karen? I'd have to think that was an even bigger turn out than last year's championship parade crowd."_

A young, bespectacled news anchor with thick orange hair like a lion's mane turned with a calm smile to his television partner. She was a few inches shorter in her seat, and had a long length of mint green hair flowing down her back. The man wore a black suit with a burgundy red tie, and the woman matched with a professional suit jacket of the same red shade.

Karen Lilica nodded, and kept her long green hair out of her way as she delivered a reply to her evening co-star. _"That town looks like it's quite the place to be during a celebration. It was a little worrying to see Coach Scarlet dropping the trophy onto the street. It almost looked like she got in a fight over it with her star point guard, Natsu ...but I guess the trophy left the parade without a scratch! I bet you're proud to call it your home town, right, Leo?"_

_"Hehe, oh I have some good memories of my time in Magnolia Town...anyway that'll do it for us tonight here in the great Heart of Fiore. Once again, I'd like to thank my co-star, Karen Lilica for bringing all the fun to tonight's show as usual. And as always my name is Leo Regulus, trying to make your morning and evening news...a little brighter every day."_

"Ehh...He really needs to work on that catch-phrase..." Levy McGarden sighed as she zipped up her jacket for her nightly adventure.

"Oh my, and that name." Mirajane covered her giggling face as she tried to quell her laughter. "I forgot he had it changed!"

"Who cares?" Cana let the empty bottle of whiskey fall from her hands as she wrapped the scarf around her shoulders even tighter. "When you look like _that_, and you're the number one news anchor in the world, change your name to whatever the hell you want!"

"Mmmgh..." Lucy silently replied as she walked over to pick up the empty bottle from in front of the couch. She was unsure what upset her the most; seeing her ex-boyfriend Loke's success as the number one news host in the country, or watching repeat footage of her current boyfriend Natsu ripping the Mavis Vermilion Trophy out of Erza's arms during the parade. She simply tried ignoring both for now. "Guys, make sure we keep this place clean while my dad is out of town. Virgo is good, but she's only human..."

"Awe Lucy..." Cana stood up, and nearly fell over in a dizzy stupor as she reached out to put an arm around the blonde girl's shoulders. "I still can't believe you messed it all up with that guy! His face, his voice...such a lady's man."

Lucy really did not want to reply, and kept walking to try and follow Mira and Levy out the door. "Cana, I don't have to remind you what happened between us. Besides, now I have Natsu."

"Yea?" Cana laughed and downed a whole bottle of water handed to her by Mira. "Your dad scared the poor boy so much he resorted to using drugs and alcohol. Come to think of it, that's the kind of man I can see myself holding on to...the drunk driving thing was pretty stupid though, but hey, you lived!"

"True!" Mira took Lucy's other arm from the right. "Plus, Loke does look much healthier now that he's living a life of sobriety. Maybe he would make a good boyfriend now with all that success!"

Lucy forced herself to smile and laugh a bit at that while she walked between the two girls slowly. "Gee guys, I'm glad you're both such thoughtful friends. Mira, do you mind driving instead? My mind is all over the place right now."

"I can do it!" Levy was already in the driver seat of her navy blue SUV. Her window was down, making her look even smaller than usual sitting in the giant tank of a vehicle. "I haven't gotten to drive anyone in the new car Gajeel and I bought. I'm worried he went a little too big with this one."

"It's fine!" Mirajane laughed and opened the door for Lucy and Cana. "It should be enough space for Lucy to think about Natsu and Loke as much as she wants! Thinking about the two of them waging a war inside her heart is just so romantic!"

"Hah!" Cana laughed as she tried to keep an arm around Lucy while also climbing into the back seat of the car. "If she keeps wearing dresses like this out to the clubs, she'll start having to juggle more than just two boys."

"Why am I going out tonight…and why are these my friends of all people?" Lucy sighed as she sat in the middle of the back seat with Mira and Cana either side of her. She also zipped up her black overcoat all the way to her neck in response to Cana's remark. "I don't think I can take a full night of this torture...and you're both sitting back here _with_ me!? Why are neither of you taking the front seat!?"

* * *

It's now later in the evening, and we come across a dimly lit basement inside a luxurious FBA player home on the low end of West Gate Park. The lush green hills of spring looked dark and calm under the golden streetlights and house lights surrounding the expensive neighborhood, and the largest home in the southern hill district played host to a small team get-together for this exciting Monday night.

"Damn, Laxus. This basement is huge!" Gray Fullbuster sat back in a mahogany chair lined with luxurious black leather as he held a cool drink in his right hand. He had a few playing cards in his left, and a plastic green visor sitting over his thick navy blue hair as he looked back to the in-house bartender.

"No kidding." Gajeel leaned over the table with all his cards in both hands, and he too wore a ridiculous poker visor like Gray's as he tried to dictate his next move. "This place had to be pretty expensive. Should have just built a home like Salamander."

"No way!" Natsu was also looking at his cards from the other end of the round poker table, and studied the velvet green field of cards that had already been laid out for the current contest. He also had a visor on, but had it flipped backwards behind his head. "You can't go and steal my idea for a new house! I bought that plot of land fair and square! No neighbors for me but Papa Jude!"

"Natsu, his front gate is closer to your house than his _actual_ house." Gray slowly started to unbutton his white dress shirt."You probably don't even see his first row of trees."

"True." Jellal Fernandes smiled as he sat next to Natsu with no cards and a near empty drink. He looked at the table with calm eyes, and carried on in conversation. "But what's the point of living next to him if the daughter you're dating lives halfway across town?"

"Duh?" Natsu pulled out a card from his coat pocket and slammed it on the table. "Gotta get close to the family if I really want the relationship to last! Okay Gajeel, I win this round!"

"Not even close!" Gajeel yelled out. "You just picked that card up from the table a few seconds ago! You can't just go laying it down whenever you want!"

"He's right, Natsu." Freed Justine lost the last round, and decided to play dealer for the three man game. "I was going to say picking up cards whenever you want to is cheating, but you all kept talking over me."

"But that's not fair!" Natsu burst out with rage. "Gajeel did it like three times earlier! I just thought it was part of the game."

"LIAR!" Gajeel threw his hands in the air. "This whole game sucks!"

"Don't bother teaching him, Freed." Laxus leaned over his downstairs bar-top as he looked over to the poker crew. "And Natsu, the visor is supposed to go around your forehead, you idiot."

"I can't keep it there!" Natsu yelled out trying to make a new move. "The lousy thing gets in my way."

"Dumb ass..." Gray leaned forward with a fully unbuttoned shirt, and slapped a card on the table. "Freed, don't count anything Natsu does, and go ahead and end this round. I win."

"NO FAIR!" Gajeel slammed his hand down and stood from the table. "I'm getting a new drink, and then we're going for a new round!"

"Fine by me." Laxus moved around the bar and took a seat at the table. "Freed, I'll take over from here. Get yourself a drink and I'll deal you in the second round."

"Thank you, Laxus." Freed gave his team captain a bow and went to grab a refreshment. "I must say it is nice to have a small team get-together after the season to keep our chemistry up."

"I guess..." Natsu pouted as Laxus dealt out new hands. The pink-haired Salamander carried on. "Where the hell is everybody else? We have more than 6 guys on our roster."

Freed replied. "Bickslow is having his anniversary dinner with Lisanna tonight downtown. Meanwhile, Jet and Droy went home to visit family."

"Yea, plus Elfman technically isn't apart of the team this year. He's been training all year for the Olympics." Gray sat back while Laxus tossed out more cards, angrily eyeing his shirtless house guest in the process.

Gajeel took five self-poured shots on a silver tray over to his seat between Gray and Freed's empty chair. He then took his first shot-glass and downed it with ease. "Yea, isn't he doing some track and field stuff or something? I hear that takes some pretty crazy training to get good at."

"Obviously." Jellal leaned forward and put his elbows on the poker table. "Field events like shot put, hammer throw, and javelin take years to master. He must have been quite the athlete in college to manage that career along with playing basketball at a level high enough to get drafted in the first round."

"Yea, and the dude has no ego whatsoever, except for the goofy 'man' talk." Gray nodded, now completely shirtless. "If you gotta root for anyone to bring home the gold, it has to be that guy."

"Just wait, Pervert." Natsu stewed in his own train of thoughts as a small grin slowly took shape on his face. "I'll be bringing home Olympic Gold for all of you to marvel at here in a few months. That is once I make the team, of course."

"Moron. You're almost as stupid as the shirtless wonder over here." Laxus rolled his eyes and continued shuffling the rest of the deck. "You have no shot of ever making the national team. Jellal, Gajeel and I are all league veterans, and even we've never played on it."

"Really?" Natsu sat up with intrigue, while Gray leaned back in anger at that last comment. The Salamander continued. "That's insane! What kind of guys play on it?"

Gajeel adjusted the cards in his hands. "Well that Iron Rock Jura guy has played on a few teams, recently. Then that weirdo, Ichiya. All the other guys from the last four years are out of the league I think."

Jellal nodded. "Yes, Zash Cane was an excellent forward in the FBA before he left Fiore 4 years ago. Then there's a player who used to go by the name Blue Note Stinger. He had a very good relationship with the head coach, Precht Gaebolg, if I'm not mistaken. Your old college coach from Acalypha was on that team as well."

"No way!" Natsu thought back to Coach Gildarts Clive from his college year. "The Old Geezer was an Olympic player before coaching!? That's so awesome!"

"Yea, that guy was pretty good, but their best player was no doubt Grant Serena." Laxus tried to remember more details. "That asshole was so cocky I hear he legally changed his name to 'God' recently."

"Really?" Gray sounded intrigued as well. "I wonder where he is now."

"Playing over in Alvarez with the real legends of the sport." Freed finally re-joined the group with a new glass of gin as he picked up his hand. "The Alvarez team wins gold every tournament, and even with that all-star group from Fiore, they only managed to get bronze four years ago."

"Mghmmm..." Natsu tuned out of the conversation the moment he heard that dreadful A-word. He never liked talking about that place. Natsu's geographic knowledge was already very poor, but he has known where Alverez was located on a map ever since he was a child. Ever since _he_ left the family to pursue his own life.

"Alvarez is home to the best basketball players in the world, far better than any of us sitting here tonight, even you, Natsu." Laxus crossed his arms and thought back to the evil coach who taught his grandfather, Makarov, how to play. "Plus that Coach Hades is a nut job. Even if I was good enough to make it onto the national roster, there's no way I'd follow that heartless lunatic or his team onto the court."

"Exactly." Gajeel butted in. "Those losers only got third place in the last Games. So let's stop talking about that crap before I fall asleep to boredom. So why did you invite all of us here, Laxus?"

Laxus let his eyebrow raised as he sipped on his drink and looked over at Jellal. "Oh? I actually intercepted a few of your invitations from our original plans. Jellal was the one who put this whole thing on. I invited him over a little earlier to pick his brain. I'll let him speak for himself, though..."

Everyone slowly sat up to politely give Jellal their attention. The Meteor Man felt a small bit of sweat gliding down the face of his red tattoo, but a smile still hung on his face as he realized he had no reason to feel nervous.

"Well, actually, it all has to do with my new..."

_***Ring**Ring***_

All the guys at the table except Natsu, who was still in his own angry world, looked up to see Jellal's phone come out of his pocket. The Magnolia shooting guard turned it on to reveal a new phone call from someone he was worried about hearing from.

"Oh no... uh hello, Erza, are you all ri…? Yes, yes we're all here...well, it's sort of...wait _now!?_ But _you_ were the one who wanted us to do this in two separate...no I haven't said anything yet, but...that sounds like a bad..._err_, yes ma'am...no I'm sorry I...fine, we'll be there soon."

He hung up his phone, then truly started to grow nervous after all as the others laughed (all except the Salamander.)

"HA!" Gajeel howled as he finished a fourth shot. "Something big must be going down. I could hear the whip cracking all the way through your phone!"

"No kidding." Gray smirked. "Is everything okay, man?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Jellal took the fifth shot from Gajeel's side, and took it down with one sip as the angry Power Forward looked on in wait.

Jellal spoke up once the burning in his throat stopped. "Erza has invited us all out to a club called _Fantasia_. She says it will all be her treat as long as we all show up."

The table grew quiet, then Natsu, with his arms still crossed slightly turned out of his chair. All this talk of Alvarez and him not being any good at basketball was starting to ruin his evening. "Eh, I'll pass, and come to think of it, I think I'm just gonna go..."

Laxus stopped him, and laughed loudly as he put an arm around Natsu and brought him back into the chair. "Sit down. This will be freakin' hilarious! These girls will be absolutely hammered. Gajeel go pour us one last round of shots. Everyone take one, drink up, then meet outside in 10 minutes."

* * *

The music was loud, the room was dark and flashing with bright lights, and everyone was both under 30 and walking around with a drink in their hand. Natsu trudged through the bar with a confused look on his face and his hands deep in his jacket pockets as Gray and Gajeel walked next to him. Laxus and Freed brought up the rear and looked around the flashing dark room as Jellal led the entire group to the back of the club.

The nervous Meteor Man sighed to himself as he looked around several luxury booths marked off with velvet red ropes. He realized he was running out of precious time to cancel the entire plan and turn around in a retreat for safety, until his eyes grew wide at the sight of a very angry red-head.

"Grr….you're late, Jellal!" Erza Scarlet stood from the center seat of a circular booth containing all her friends and several top-shelf bottles waiting with ice on a clear glass table. Her fists were on the hips of a very elegant but low cut white dress, supported by a large, flashy belt around her trim waist. Her hands were also being covered by black satin gloves hiding her feminine fingers. Her voluptuous red hair was pulled back in a thick ponytail, and her eyes were matching the color of fire as she tried to see the group arriving through the dark.

"I told you twenty minutes tops! It's been _OVER_ a half an hour!"

"Sorry, Erza...I wasn't the one driving." Jellal slouched down, and received a tight bear hug from his lovely woman as her angry expression changed instantly to a ditsy smile.

"Well now you're her, and you brought all our friends! I suppose this will make up for it, then!"

"Ughh…!" Gray's skin tingled as he stood with Natsu and Gajeel. "Somehow her smile is creepier than the angry face she just had on."

Gajeel scratched his head. "Agreed. How much has this broad had to drink…?"

"Mggggh..." Natsu's crossed arms were almost hugging his upper body now, and his nose and mouth were buried underneath his white checkered muffler. His orange shirt was being blocked by his scarf and navy blue jacket, and his grey eyes were turned toward the ground in his own world of anger until he heard a familiar perky voice calling his name.

"_Natsu!_" Lucy Heartfilia ran around the other girls to wrap her beloved boyfriend in a hug too. "Erza never said you'd be coming tonight! This is going to be sooo fun, heheehee...look she even helped me fix my hair!" It was pulled back in a fluffy pony-tail similar to the Fairies Coach, and accented her bright face and brown eyes rather well.

"Err, Lucy?" Natsu raised his head in concern, now that his face was being covered by something much more feminine than his own scarf. His red cheeks lit up as Lucy's chest buried itself into his. "Geeze, that's quite a breath you have there. Almost like a dragons!"

"Awe..." Lucy drunkenly laughed at his rude joke, and playfully leaned her head on his shoulder as she turned to wrap her arms around one of his muscular biceps. "You're even wearing the scarf I made you. You are _sooo_ adorable!"

"HahaHa!" Gray slapped Natsu on the back and laughed at his friend's frustrated plight with a smile. "The clothes make the man, Ol' buddy!"

However, the icy Small Forward spoke too soon.

"Ohh Graaay! _***Sob***_ I'm sooo happy you're here to rescue meee!" Juvia wobbled away from the table in a divine navy blue cocktail dress as she hung on one of Gray's arm's in a gloomy mess. "_***Sob***_ the other women here are all so mean to me! I can't even say anything without being bullied! _***Sob***_"

"Yea..." Gray's eyes had floated up to look at the ceiling to try and avoid Juvia's obnoxious surly crying. "Something tells me you're over-exaggerating like usual."

"I'd have to say she is." The petite Levy came over to give Gajeel a hug, and kept one hand on her tiny stomach. "No one has said anything to her because she's been too busy crying like that all night..."

"Heh." Gajeel put an arm around Levy. "At least she's gotten into the booze for some fun. What's a matter with you, party pooper? Is all this too unprofessional for the GM?"

"No, I'm just having a stomach ache again." Levy tried to keep her white lie alive as she pointed to Erza yelling at Jellal in the booth. "But now that you mention it, this whole Coach Erza getting hammered in a nightclub probably isn't going to be good PR for our team."

"Who cares!?" Cana finished off her fifth bottle of the night and snapped to a waiter as she sat in the middle of the seats with the others. "Can we get some extra bottles over here? Now that I'm thinking about it, just keep 'em coming every ten minutes!"

"I don't know about this..." Freed stayed standing at the back of the group, and tried to turn for the door, but Laxus put a hand on the shoulder of his friend's expensive red jacket as he cracked an even bigger smile.

"Oh no, you're going to be the only sane person I have to talk to, tonight." Laxus was wearing a purple button-up shirt with slick leather pants. He had a very obnoxious black fur coat with grey fluff trimming the collar on also, but his arms were out of the sleeves as he brought Freed in for a whisper. "Unless I count that Levy girl. She probably isn't drinking tonight, knowing her _little secret_...but man this is going to be the funniest fucking night of the year. Let's find the bar."

Laxus marched off through the crowd of people with Freed at his back as he located Mirajane sitting at the bar with several empty glasses next to her. He took a seat, and put his arm around her while Freed sat next to him on the other side.

"Oh Laxus! I didn't know you'd be coming over, tonight! _***Hic***_ How fun!"

"Eh, a little messy, but you can still talk..." Laxus snapped to the bartender who gave out two beers for the star center and his green-haired friend. "How's the night been going?"

His lovely wife, Mira, giggled. "_***Hic***_ It's actually been pretty tame, if you can believe me! Except for the parts where Cana calls all the waiters over, then Erza yells at them to leave the group alone. Then after a few drinks Lucy tries to share some very intimate stories of her and Natsu in the bedroom which makes Levy blush like a rose, but Juvia usually interrupts her before she gets to the good parts to cry about Gray not being by her side...I just laugh and have fun while it all opens up in front of me!"

"Ahhh..." Laxus nodded and looked over at Freed with a smirk. "Hopefully I haven't missed anything too funny yet."

"Dear Lord." Freed failed to even drink his beer after hearing that story. "I'm surprised you ladies haven't been kicked out yet!"

"Weeell, _***hic***_ when a league champion head coach and the daughter of a wealthy businessman agree to cover all the expenses, the staff kind of has to put of with you for the evening *_**hic***_. Oh one more thing!"

Mira leaned over to Laxus and whispered into his ear. "The whole thing about Levy and Gajeel is true! He doesn't know she's pregnant though, so keep it to yourself!"

"Oh, good to hear." Laxus rolled his eyes, and felt his amusement fade slightly. "I'm happy for the lovely couple."

The drunken Mira failed to notice his sarcasm and giggled with delight as she grabbed his hand. "Oooh I know! They are so adorable! I can't wait 'til we have a little family of our own!"

And suddenly Laxus was starting to feel like Natsu as he finished all of his beer bottle off, and then took Freed's drink for seconds. He sighed to himself, then nodded.

"Yea, me too."

Back over at the main table, Levy was the first to say something. "Natsu, is something wrong? You came in looking kind of down."

"No kidding!" Cana leaned across the table to look him in the eyes. "Ya bummed out cause we started drinking without ya!"

"No it was something else." Natsu tried to fake a normal expression, then let out a deep breath. "It's off my mind, now. Just happy to see Lucy."

"Awe!" Lucy's eyes stopped spinning from all the liquor and found his as she wrapped his arm up even tighter. "I told you he's a sweet heart! After all these years, my dad is finally right, I really am Lucky Lucy Heartfilia after all!"

"Is that so…?" Cana was going in and out of intoxication and sobriety, and raised an annoyed eyebrow as she sat next to Levy with a bottle hanging out of her mouth like a cigar. "Earlier you were going off about how upset you were after the MVP thing when Natsu didn't..."

"Ahaha!" Levy stuffed the bottle further in Cana's mouth as she tried to cover the story. "didn't give you that interview you wanted! Natsu, you keep saying you'll interview Lucy after a game, but then you get distracted."

"I do? Oh yea I guess I do!" Natsu's mind was returning back to normal as his hand floated behind his head and a big toothy grin took his face. "Sorry about that, Lucy. I'll try and give you one for the Olympics, promise!"

"Awe! I believe you, Natsu!" Lucy's cheeks were flushed with pink to match her Fairy tattoo on her right hand. "You're always soo thoughtful! I tried to tell the girls that earlier...heehee, it _kiiinda_ reminds me of the one time when we were in your apartment and..."

"AGH!" Shouted Levy. Lucy's flirtatious ways were quickly blocked by Levy standing up waving her arms like a lunatic, all to cover up Lucy's anticipated graphic story, and her own blushing red face. The blue-haired General Manager then took the bottle out of Cana's mouth and pushed her to the floor. "Cana, didn't you want to take Lucy out on the floor to teach her how to dance!?"

"I did…?" Cana swayed back and forth, and struggled to think as she scratched her messy head of wavy brown hair. Her purple eyes narrowed in thought until she gave off a passive shrug. "Pff, whatever! Come on, Princess, let's go dance."

"Yay!" Lucy took Cana's hand, and put another in the air before reaching out to grab Natsu. "Come on, it'll be fun if we both go!"

"Ehhh, do ya mind if I join you in a few?" Natsu tried to act as well as he could. "I need to get another drink into my system first..."

"Ugh...fine…" Lucy rolled her eyes, but gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. "I'll be waiting..."

"How utterly adorable." Erza sat at the center of the booth with two hands balled up in a fist to her cheek. "They are just the cutest, aren't they?"

Jellal sighed, and gave her a forced nod. "I guess they are...um, Erza, didn't you just want us to come over so we could tell the group…?"

"Quiet." Erza's cheery disposition rapidly changed to anger and rage once again as the alcohol continued to hit her system. She glared over to Jellal on her left. "We'll tell them when they all return. And we'll do it _together_ in unison. And we'll both be smiling, and it will be very magical."

"Right, right, in unison...I'll need a drink of my own before all that happens."

"I'll grab it for ya." Natsu's head was hanging low again, but he kindly volunteered to go get one at the bar on the other side of the room, all to avoid Laxus and Mira chatting with Freed. Gray, meanwhile, took a swig from his own glass, then noticed Juvia still crying into his chest as he slowly rolled his eyes.

"What is it now, Juvia?"

"_***Sob* **_All the other couples are having fun. Lucy and Natsu are going to go dancing, Laxus and Mirajane are catching up at the bar. Erza and Jellal are whispering secrets to themselves. And Gajeel and Levy are both expecting!"

"Expecting? What for someone else to pay for all of this? They said Erza and Lucy have the bill. Calm down and lighten up. It's a party now that we're all here!"

"Gray...oh I suppose you're right." Juvia sat up, and tried to wipe away the tears from her deep blue eyes now that it was just her, Gray, Gajeel, Levy, Erza and Jellal sitting around the widely round booth table.

She grabbed a glass of nothing but ice and poked the ice cubes round with a thin black straw. "I guess I can be a little happy knowing Natsu was too dimwitted to propose to Lucy after the championship game last Saturday. I was secretly hoping we'd be the next couple to get married."

The table grew very quiet as only the girls knew that very personal story up to this point. Gray's dark eyes slowly twitched, and Gajeel's red eyes rolled with laughter as he chowed down on some ice. "Buncha morons. That idiot Salamander doesn't have the balls to get married."

Natsu missed hearing it, and had wondered off to the other bar as he further tried to ignore the others. He held two beers in his hands for both he and Jellal to drink, but figured his appetite for a good time had already faded. He was still so hung up one two major issues lingering in his head from before.

"_Why does everyone doubt me so much? Ughh I'm just as good at basketball as everyone else! I can join that lousy Olympic team easy! Then Fiore would be good enough to beat those idiots in Alvarez...grrrr, speaking of Alvarez…!"_

His mind was lighting on fire while visions of a lost older brother blinded his mind. _"I still haven't __forgiven__ that lousy b__astard__ for what he did...if I ever see him again, basketball court or not, I swear I'll give him a piece of my mind."_

He already had way too much to drink at that point, and felt the rage growing inside him like a fire waiting to erupt. Now though, the fun night out failed to lighten his mood once again, especially when he saw Cana trying to force Lucy to talk with a group of boys across the room.

The worst part about it was, Lucy _seemed_ to be having a good time, and now he was worried he'd ruin it if he walked over to see them.

However, it just so happened that Lucy was slowly enjoying herself less and less, and was only faking it to help Cana enjoy the night. As Cana and Lucy began to dance with others in the crowd, Lucy turned away and grabbed Cana and yelled at her drunken friend.

"I dunno, Cana..." Lucy's head was growing a little dizzier than before as she raised her hand up to her forehead. "Maybe I'm not cut out for dancing..."

"Ah come on!" Cana ripped the bottle of liquor from Lucy's hands after noticing her blonde best friend had not taken a single drop to drink out of it. "Lighten up! You were having so much fun over at the table!"

"Yea, I don't know...I'm just getting tired, is all..." Lucy's words were starting to sound more sobering, and the flashing lights all around the black room were not helping her situation.

"I get it..." Cana rolled her eyes. "You need Natsu over here to have a little fun?"

"No no, it's not like that at all! It's just, well..." Lucy didn't want to admit that she was starting to grow bored with Cana, but then she started looking around the room. "He said he'd be over later. I wonder where he is?"

Cana finished her drinking and handed the empty bottle to an angry waiter passing them by. "Lucy, I don't think he's coming. It's obvious the guy doesn't like clubs or dancing, which means..." Her very drunken eyes started to scan the crowd as a mischievous plot hatched inside her brain.

"Which means we're going to have to find you a new man just to dance with for a little bit! Oh boooys!" She walked over and laid tow hands on a pair of shoulders dancing in the circle, and turned them both to look at her sultry grin.

"Could you gentlemen get us a few more drinks when the waiter gets back? My friend Lucy and I are really getting thirsty..."

"No kidding?" One of the boys was very handsome, and had a messy head of purple and white hair. His eyebrow shot up and a grin formed across his face. "You _totally_ are thirsty...hey Dan, you want the blonde if I take this lovely lady for myself?"

"Hehe." The red-haired man who stood like a tower next to him chuckled. "I'd be happy to, Hughes, but only if...oh sweet heavens! It's my little Lulu!"

"Ehhh?" Lucy's half-drunken brain had fully sobered up the moment she heard that pet name and voice. "Dan!? Hughes?! What the hell are you two doing here!?"

"Hey!" Hughes smiled and gave Cana and Lucy a fresh glass of wine. "Long time no see, Blondie! I think the last time we talked was high school. Dan and I are always looking for you on campus to see if you wanna hang, but you're never home!"

"Yea, I'm always off campus hanging out with my..." Lucy felt very timid all of a sudden, until Dan put an arm around her shoulders. This made her grow comically snappy. "Hey what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Dan's face was the same color as his hair, and his eyes had stars in them that matched Lucy's golden head. "I just wanted a quick taste of my little Lemon Drop! It's been too long since we all graduated last year!"

"Yea?" Cana started to chuckle hysterically once she heard these pet names. "You gonna let the poor man get a taste, Lemon Drop? _*__**Hic***_ heehee..."

"Cana, what are you doing?!" Lucy took herself from Dan's arms and pulled Cana away from Hughes. "You know I have a boyfriend!"

Cana laughed, but quickly turned confused. "Huh? **_*hic*_** Relax! I'm not telling you to go home with the guy!...I just wanted to have a little fun flirting with some guys, and I wanted a friend to do it with."

"Cana I..." Lucy felt very embarrassed to be in this situation, and was quickly cut off as Dan put his hands back on her shoulders to give her a soft massage.

"Awe, you seem so stressed out, Lulu. Let me try and relax you for a bit!"

"Stop it, Dan!" Lucy turned around, but found herself still in his arms as he looked down at her. "I told you I'm in a relationship."

Dan was usually not this rude to her, even when he did try to flirt. He always acted very polite in his weirdness back at Magnolia Heights Prep School. But he was older now, and she could smell alcohol on his breath as he leaned in closer.

Dan gave her a bigger grin. "It's okay, I think your boyfriend will be alright if we only dance for a little bit. Besides, it looks like he's not here, and I can't imagine any sane man would leave a vision like you to dance all alone with your girlfriends all night."

She answered uncomfortably, but tried to stay firm. "I don't want to dance, I just..." She went to continue, but Dan silenced her as he went in for a drunken kiss.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, pal?"

Dan stopped in mid-action and leaned away for a minute. Lucy's eyes tripled in size with total fear for her old high school friend's life as she heard that very low, angry voice. The former star athlete from her prep school went to turn around with a sharp remark, but was violently interrupted by a terrible reminder.

"Oh? Is this your...oh no I forgot! YOU'RE STILL DATING _SALAMANDER!_"

"Natsu!" Lucy knew Natsu's anger was not directed toward her, but she still knew Dan to be an okay guy, and tried sticking up for him before the violence ensued. "Please calm down, I told him I didn't want to hang out. He was just saying good bye and…"

"SHE DOESN'T WANNA DANCE,_ SO GET LOST!"_ Natsu never caught her plea, and yelled in a drunken rage as he smashed Dan's head in between two brown beer bottles full of liquid. Even for a tall athlete, playing in Division 1 sports, the hit from Natsu's smash sent him flying to the ground, and tore a giant hole in the sea of people as they room cleared revealing the confrontation.

The music kept playing, but the crowd grew silent as Lucy and Cana backed away rapidly. Hughes tossed his drink and pulled Dan to his feet to try and get him out of the situation, all while Natsu stood over the two of them with rage building in his eyes.

"FIIIGHT!" Yelled a random voice in the crowd.

"SOMEONE'S HURT! CALL THE COPS!" Yelled a shrieking girl in the back.

"YOU HIT LIKE A GIRL, SALAMANDER!" That inappropriate jab came from Gajeel back at the table. "TRY HARDER NEXT TIME!"

The music finally stopped, and Natsu's heavy breathing quelled as well as he looked up to see Cana with a terrified expression aimed at Lucy.

Meanwhile, the blonde girlfriend of the violent pink-haired assailant felt tears falling from her sobbing eyes. Now it was her turn to grow angry, all while she tried looking at her boyfriend with what little energy she had left.

"Lucy..." Natsu's emotions flipped around entirely when he saw her furious, crying face looking his way. The crowd parted even more as two blue shirts came in through the doors and led themselves right for Natsu on the open floor.

"Lucy...I..." Natsu's eyes were growing misty too as he let the men behind him cuff his wrists together. He tried to spit out one more word, but Erza Scarlet of all people beat him to it.

"_Everyone's grown so quiet_...then now must be a good time!" She was totally lost to the liquor at this point as she stood rapidly from her seat clenching Jellal by the neck in her right arm. The proud Coach Titania then ripped the satin glove from her left hand, and showcased a dazzling bright diamond ring secured around her left ring finger.

"Everyone, Jellal proposed to me the other evening, and I said yes! WE'RE GOING TO BE _MARRIED!__!_"

"NOOOOO!" Juvia was hammered as well, and slammed her face into the glass table sobbing uncontrollably on it, while Gray checked to make sure she did not break it or her face. Then he sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers as all the eyes were now looking at his table, including the policemen sent in to arrest Natsu. Levy had leaned forward with hands covering her gaping mouth, and Gajeel tried blocking his grins with his glass as he never even leaned forward.

Finally, Freed stood from the bar with wide eyes, Mirajane stayed in her seat with tears forming under her eyes and two shaky hands covering her face. Laxus only looked on with a howl of laughter as he slapped his right knee crossed over his other leg.

"HAH! Oh man! I knew this night would be freakin' hilarious! Bar tender order me up another one, I may buy a whole round for the entire club after this all settles down!"

* * *

**Oh dear lord that was a crazy ride! I'm really like this whole sequel-thing! It let's me jump right into the fun stuff without all the character building!**

**So the main take away is _allll_ these couples have secrets they're hiding, but they're trying to all be good friends by keeping them on the DL. Lucy wants to be proposed to, Natsu has a brother he doesn't talk about, Erza and Jellal wanted to keep their proposal a secret, Levy is pregnant (Gajeel has no idea), Mira wants a baby, Laxus can't give her one, and Gray...? We'll find his out later...**

**But now Natsu's being arrested! I wonder who'll be the one to bail him out...until next time! **


	6. 6 - Opening Up to Loved Ones

**Author's Note: Chapter 5 today! After the crazy ruckus from yesterday's, this one is going to be a lot calmer, but still very deep...enjoy! **

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Six - Opening Up to Loved Ones

* * *

Gray Fullbuster was stuck in a line of late-night downtown traffic in the bustling city of Magnolia. Even close to midnight on a Monday, the streets were lit up with energetic people rushing about trying to enjoy the beginning of their week. March had turned to April, and while many young city dwellers were currently on spring break away from school, older residents found themselves sound asleep back home in the suburbs.

The dark-haired Small Forward for Magnolia kept an elbow on the windowsill of the car door, and his right hand was station at the top of the steering wheel. He held the responsibility of driving his girlfriend home, along with the passed out couple of Erza and Jellal in the back, who actually owned the sporty mid-sized vehicle he was driving. He kept his window down to try and keep himself awake, but to also try and speed up his own ringing head after a monstrous night at the local Magnolia dance club _Fantasia_.

"Well, that was quite an experience..." Juvia had his white shirt wrapped around the front of her body, and her head lead against the car door to her right as she tried to fight sleep to talk with her beloved. "I didn't see any of that happening when the night began."

"That's a pretty big understatement there, Juvia." Gray almost sounded annoyed with his half-intoxicated girlfriend. "Natsu got arrested for publicly assaulting someone, and Erza blurted her entire engagement out to the whole club. We had to sneak Levy out the back door of the place just so she wouldn't get harassed by the press massing outside. I don't even know how Lucy and Cana made it out."

"I-I believe Laxus and Gajeel drove people home as well." She tried to keep herself calm. "So other than Natsu, we're all making it home safe and sound."

"Geeze." He rolled his eyes and stopped the car to a second light. "Do you not understand what just happened? Natsu is in_ jail!_ Forget him trying to win over that crazy national coach, now. He'll be lucky if Jude doesn't trade him to another team tonight. Then he and Lucy will become all tense, and lord knows how that will affect the team and the group as a whole."

"Gray...I..." Juvia leaned her head up, and felt her eyes growing wider as she tried to show him how much she understood. "I'm sorry, I do understand the situation, it was just a lot...I'm sorry I had to blurt out all that stuff about Natsu not proposing to Lucy, and me wanting to get engaged..."

"Ah, Juvia..." He kept his eyes on the road, but reached over to grab her close hand. "It's okay. Natsu's thick-headed, but he's not a complete idiot. Plus, Lucy is the most forgiving person on the planet. They'll be fine, and I doubt anyone will even remember what you said after the crazy stuff that just happened."

"I hope you're right." Juvia had spent most of her life, and a majority of her romantic relationships trying to gather the attention of her partner. She often found herself neglected in social situations, but Gray at least remembered she was there most of the time. "I just tend to over-do my emotions, and I'm worried that people may see me as too selfish, but I'll work on that. Now, though, I'm worried Natsu won't get what he wants. He seemed very excited the other night about trying out for the Fiore National Team."

"_The National Team, right..."_ Gray sighed, and kept the rest of his mind to himself. _"__All the guys made fun of Natsu when he first made that deceleration, but now it looks like they're all going to try out for it to__o__. I have to go in with them if we decide to do this as a team, but..."_

He looked outside his window as they passed by the grand South Gate Arena home to his very own Magnolia Fairies FBA team. The season banners were now replaced with messages of **"Congratulations!" "Back-to-Back Champs!" **and early advertisements for this summer's Grand Olympic Games.

He also noticed a series of flag poles outside the main arena gates, and eyed the purple and white banner framing a golden flower of Fiore as the national flag for this country. Traffic had stopped, and thus Gray's eyes were fixed on Fiore's flag for a very long time.

"Gray?" Juvia had turned around to see Jellal and Erza were still asleep. "Are you sure you know which way their apartment building is?"

"Huh?" Gray broke his gaze, then turned back to seeing the moving traffic along the busy road. "Uh, yea, I know where it is. Just thinking about too much at once."

"O-kay then..." She also found her head growing more and more steamy as she hungrily eyed his bare chest underneath a seat belt. "A-and why did you feel the need to give me your shirt?"

"Agh you too!?" Gray snapped back. "First Laxus calls me out for this habit, and now my girl friend. Is it really that weird?!"

* * *

We now find an isolated professional point guard sitting all alone inside a downtown Magnolia jail cell. Natsu Dragneel had been there for about 1 hour and decided not to make contact with anyone outside the police station. He barely spoke with any guards, but never even thought to block his face when cameras started rolling inside and outside the club.

"_Why was I so angry…?"_ He tried asking himself this questions dozens of times during his sentence._ "Lucy was even trying to calm me down. Even if the guy was hitting on her, it was someone from her old high school. I even met the guy last year at her stupid house party. I know he's harmless...so why did I get so emotional?_

"_Was it because of all the stuff the other guys said about me not being good enough to make the Olympics? Was it because of all the thoughts I've had about Zeref recently?...or was it only because the sound of hearing Lucy so afraid inside that bar makes me that angry?"_

He would have to hold his thoughts, though, as an unexpected message came through his cell bars by word of one of his guards.

"Alright, Dragneel. Looks like someone remembered you're here. They paid your bail."

He slowly stood from his cold spot on the concrete floor, and walked through the now open cell door with a chill running over his arms. Natsu was known for being a fiery passionate soul, so feeling the cold and fear for who was on the other side of that counter waiting for him left him even more confused than he already was.

He turned the corner for the police station lobby, and saw a dissatisfied elderly face of a man he spent an entire year looking up to, looking up at him with unimpressed eyes.

"Well, I suppose this was bound to happen at some point in your career." It was former Fairy Coach, Makarov Dreyar. He had a tan trench coat on covering a burgundy vest, and navy blue slacks as he jumped from the chairs and turned for the door. "Come."

Natsu and Makarov stood just inside the door of the police station during that very late hour of the evening, and the elder coach sighed as he looked down at the floor. "Your bail was 150,000J. The boy you attacked does not wish to press charges, but the League is fining you 10 million on top of a 4 game suspension starting at the beginning of the regular season this fall...I'm still unsure how this will affect your chances at making the Olympic Team."

Makarov then remembered the boy he was talking to. "When you lost your temper last season and pushed that Sting Eucliffe boy into our bench, I figured a day would follow where we'd have to bail you out of jail for a real offense. What happened to you tonight, Natsu?"

"..." Natsu kept his arms crossed as he leaned back on the wall of the station hallway. His white scarf was covering half of his face, and his eyes were turned back toward the lobby.

Makarov sighed. "Silence usually isn't your go-to reaction. This must have been quite the incident. Does this have anything to do with the Olympics?"

"...I'm good enough for that team, Gramps. You know it's true." Natsu talked with out turning to acknowledge his former coach.

Makarov quarter-turned toward the glass doorway of the station, and looked out to the fuzzy streetlamps above the parking lot. "By your talent, yes, you are good enough. You may even be the greatest player the game has ever seen. Though, if you already believe that, yourself, then why must you get caught up in what everyone else has to say?"

"Laxus and Gajeel are nowhere near good enough to make the team. Anytime I hear them talking about it makes me...AGH!" His hands dropped into fists by his side before taking a deep breath to regain his cool.

Makarov nodded. "Ah, those are two of your most engaging critics. What about Gray? He's known you for many years now, and personally seen you develop as a player."

"Agh, screw him too." Natsu huffed again as his arms returned to their original position. "He won't even talk about it with me half the time. Plus he wasn't even born in Fiore, so they probably won't let him on the roster. Why do I care what he thinks?"

Makarov nodded again, as that was a secret he knew the truth to as well. As a result, the coach tried a different approach. "Fine, so what about your little sister, Wendy? And what about Jude's daughter, Lucy? You've found quite a positive relationship with her over the past year. Have you ever asked her for an opinion? What does she think about your wild ambition?"

"Lucy...she'd just smile and tell me to give it my best shot."

"Hmm..." Makarov scratched his chin. "Well those sound like quite endearing words. Precisely what you need in a time like this."

"I guess..._Lucy_..." Natsu sounded even worse than before. "I ruined her whole night...She probably never wants to see me again after what I did."

"Don't be so sure." Makarov gave his junior a redeeming smile as he kept looking out the window. "We as humans try our best to help others in their time of need. It's in our very nature. Everyone wants to been seen as a person who can help others through difficult situations. We crave being the teacher, but it's often quite easier to just be the student. If I know the daughter of Jude Heartfilia like I have over my years in his organization, then I know that Lucy is just the kind of person who will help you achieve your wildest dreams. She also understands the concept of _forgiveness _rather well."

"Yea?" Natsu raised his head out of his scarf and looked at the back of Makarov's head.

Coach Dreyar carried on. "Forgiveness is a very hard trait to come by, but an even more difficult skill to hold on to. Take your relationship with Sting Eucliffe...or the relationship you hold with your very own brother. Lucy once felt the same emotions about her father that you share for your brother half way around the world. She always fought with Jude, but eventually, with your help, she found her way to forgiveness."

Finally, Makarov turned, but kept his hand on the handle to the door leading outside. "If you went to Lucy now, I'm sure she would embrace you with the same compassion that she always does."

Natsu took several moments to process the wise words of Makarov Dreyar, and after several fits of blinking, he provided a familiar toothy grin.

"Hehe, your right, Gramps! I'll go see her as soon as possible."

"I'm very glad to here that, Natsu." Makarov turned to open the door, but made sure to hide his mischievous smirk-filled face. "But there's actually one other Heartfilia you'll need to speak with first...after all he's the man who _really_ paid for your bail, tonight. _Heeheehee..._"

"Agh not him!" Natsu wanted nothing more than to run back towards his jail cell and lock away his thoughts, but once Makarov opened the door, Jude Heartfilia stood waiting under a lamp post in a rather expensive leather trench coat, and his usually trim head of hair and mustache.

"Natsu." The patriarch of the Heartfilia family wanted to keep things quick. So quick, he never even said anything, and turned for a pair of limousines lined outside the police station.

"Agh..." Natsu turned to find Makarov Dreyar had completely disappeared, and then sighed to himself as he helplessly trailed his team owner from behind. It was well past midnight, now, and the streets and town had grown eerily quiet. "Hey, Papa Jude, just the man I wanted to see, actually! Lucy said you'd be leaving for a business trip tonight, so what are the odds that we're able to talk before ya go…!"

Jude stopped walking, which forced Natsu to stop a few feet behind him. The boy named as the dragon of the FBA looked like a scared little lizard as he patiently waited for the next words to leave Jude Heartfilia's mouth.

Jude painfully delivered. "I wait until the break of midnight to let the paparazzi clear out of the police station before making your bail payment, then stop on my way to the airport for my trip, which I'm now late for, to deliver you a safe ride home."

Natsu learned very quickly to listen, which was rather unusual for him, as he looked up to see Jude actually turn around to continue his message.

"I've been named the richest man in Fiore, and one of the most powerful names in the entire world...However, all of that is now being questioned. Now that the star player of my professional basketball team, who also happens to be dating my daughter, is in jail for aggravated assault on a college student. Not to mention you are her first relationship to follow the young man who put her in the hospital three years ago for behaving recklessly over town as well."

Natsu's eyes were wider than the had ever been before as he tried to look Jude in the face. His spine remained firm, but his mouth was open with no words as he collected enough energy to make his reply.

"ugh...thank you for bailing me out of jail?"

Jude kept one hand in his pocket, and opened the very back door to the second limo in the line. "Get in. Go home. I'll deal with you when I return."

Natsu was unsure what to make of all of this. His skin looked rather pale compared to usual, and he slowly slid into the back of the limo, and also notice Jude not looking at him as the man slammed the car door behind the FBA star.

Natsu could hear Jude get into his own limo, then heard the squealing of its tires as it fled to the airport to try and salvage Jude's business trip. Natsu tried to follow its escape as he looked out the blacked-out window, but froze as he quickly noticed another person sitting in the back of the limo cab with him.

"Lucy!"

Lucy Heartfilia had one leg crossed over the other. A soft blanket was draped over her bare shoulders, and her light blue part dress was still on as she tried to keep her eyes looking out the window. Her makeup had faded away, and small traces showed that she appeared to be quite emotional. Natsu held his tongue, then moved himself across the cab to sit down next to her.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry." He reached out for her hand, slowly, but the car driver did not catch the message as he powered on the gas to take them home. Immediately Natsu's face turned a dark shade of purple, and his left hand covered his ballooning mouth from pouring out to the floor.

Lucy turned away from the window, and studied the boy in his horrible plight of motion sickness. She blinked a few times, then for the first time since leaving the club, smiled at Natsu. She grabbed his free right hand, then took his head and placed it in her lap. She continued looking out the window for the remainder of the trip back to his apartment building.

* * *

"I can't believe he's already all over social media! What a dumb ass!"

Laxus laughed like a maniac as he rolled the towering black SUV back into his luxurious driveway fro the night. After Gray took Erza and Jellal with himself and Juvia, Laxus decided on taking Cana and Freed with Mirajane back to their house. All of this was because Gajeel had stealthily left with Levy as soon as possible after photographers showed up, and Lucy was ordered by her father's phone call to wait inside the club until he arrived.

"Laxus, I hope you at least have some concern for Natsu's well being inside you somewhere." Freed sat in the back seat of the SUV with a silent Cana, and tried to speak on his teammate's behalf. "He had not been drinking very much, which means he probably acted on his own emotions. Who knows what made him so angry."

"HAH!" Laxus chimed off, failing to realize how loud he had gotten after feeling the alcohol finally hitting his system. "We already know what made the idiot lose his cool. The genius boozer back there forced Lucy to go dancing with strange guys. Natsu probably popped one of them in the head for grabbing his little girlfriend on the ass or something. Then Erza shouted out her wedding to the public like they had any business knowing. Talk about a successful start to a rookie head coaching career!"

The car had grown quiet, with Freed widely eyeing Laxus from the back seat. The only sound in the car was Cana crying herself to sobriety as she forced her car door open, and stumbled out to the pavement.

Then Laxus turned to the front passenger seat, where Mirajane stared furiously with two wide open eyes. Laxus had one eyebrow raised and then turned to look out the windshield toward his house.

"Oh? You haven't given me that look in a while." He said with little thought. "Go ahead, sweetie. What's on your mind?"

"Freed." Mira said with a crack in her tired voice. "Take Cana to my car, and have her lay down in the back. I'm sleeping at her house tonight."

_***SLAM***_

Laxus never even flinched as he just watched his white-haired spouse circle his car, passed the lights, and storm off inside. Freed had slowly crept out of the back seat to help Cana into Mira's maroon convertible, then as the angry wife finally emerged, she closed her car door, and sped back out the driveway and into the night.

The towering blonde Center finally got out of his own SUV, then slammed the car door behind him. He kept two hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky.

"Freed. Why the hell do you follow me around so much?"

"Uh, beg pardon?" Freed stood behind Laxus and tried to read his Team Captain's face. "I'm sorry, but you are the team leader. I wish to respect that as much as possible."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "No I didn't mean it like...look, I'm grateful for the kind of friend you try to be, but...why do you, and Bickslow, and the other guys follow me around when I'm always a jerk to you? How did I get a sweet girl like Mirajane to marry me...why do I always have to act like such an ass towards others?"

"Oh, well I'm not sure how to answer that either." Freed said honestly as he looked to the stars with his friend. "You're a very talented person, but one might suggest your suffering with self-conscious issues. I hope everything is going okay in your life?"

"Sort of." Laxus rubbed his left hand over the bottom of his face. "After having a few drinks tonight, I even thought about going in on Natsu's little idea for the Olympics."

Freed nodded. "That sounds like a good idea for you, Laxus. You certainly have the talent. But do you currently have the confidence? It's obvious something is troubling you."

Laxus was worried about where the conversation had wondered off to. He did not enjoy talking about his self-confidence or masculinity with anyone, even Mirajane. Occasionally his pesky grandfather worked out some words from him, but Laxus had his own inner quarrels he needed to get straightened out privately.

"I just hope..." Freed hated to interject again, but felt it was too important. "I heard Mirajane talking about wanting to raise a child with you. I just hope you figure out your problems before bringing a new generation of Dreyars into the world."

"Go inside." Laxus calmly replied. "Take one of the guest bedrooms. We'll go out for breakfast with Bickslow, tomorrow."

Freed stopped, and delivered a faint nod before turning around. "That sounds splendid. Goodnight, Laxus."

Laxus Dreyar stayed outside and remained looking at the night's sky above. He stopped and followed one shooting across the sky, and noticed it trailing downward past the curved horizon.

_"I won't have to worry about raising a kid, if I can't get Mirajane pregnant first." _He started to figure out why he was so quick to lash out to his friends recently, then let out a great big sigh. _"I do love you, Mirajane...I guess I'll take your advice, and go see a doctor this week."_

* * *

The limo stopped outside the grand stoop of Natsu's luxurious high rise apartment building. Lucy helped the poor Dragneel boy out of the moving deathtrap, then waved for the limo driver to go home. This left the two of them alone on the steps outside the main door.

They both sat down on a step and faced the street. Silence filled the air, and Natsu's head rested on Lucy's shoulder, still covered by a blanket. She looked around the scene above, and spotted a familiar light hanging from the wall.

"This reminds me of our first date. You dropped your keys out your window, and almost hit me in the head. We came home to a night just like this...then you froze looking at me when I tried giving you your keys back."

"Yep, I did..." Natsu was gaining the strength in his stomach back as he leaned up and placed a wobbly arm around Lucy's shoulders. "I was so mad at myself for not realizing how pretty you looked that night. People always call me dense and stupid, but I guess it's so bad that I can't even notice it for myself...too stupid to realize I'm stupid."

"Natsu, you are not stupid." Lucy laughed quietly, and kissed him on the cheek. "That's why I fell in love with you in the first place. I remember seeing you for the first time on that stage at last year's draft. You were totally different from every boy that I'd seen before. You didn't care what anyone else thought about you, but you always remained loyal and kind to the people you cared about.

"Then...tonight happened." Lucy scratched the side of her head. "Natsu, what exactly did happen to you, tonight?"

"I'm not sure. I talked about it with Gramps before your dad got to me. I've just been all over the place with the Olympics and the end of the season, and other stuff...when I heard you telling some boy you didn't want to dance, you just sounded so afraid..."

"You were looking out for me...the ditsy blonde girlfriend who can't even dress modestly when going out with her friends." Lucy wrapped her arms around her gut in a self-conscious hug, reluctantly reminding herself just how revealing her blue dress was. "I'm too nice to people, they always think I'm flirting, and I always get called out about my outfits in front of the girls. It's never rude, but I know that my outfits can bee a little..."

"You're fine, Lucy. Just the way you are." Natsu affirmed her. "Don't let anyone bully you into thinking or dressing otherwise. You're pretty, wear whatever the hell you want."

Lucy's face turned red, and a new smile formed over her face as she leaned her had back down on his muscular right shoulder. They sat in silence again, until Lucy grew enough courage to speak. "Hey N-Natsu...I have a feeling the Olympics, or me for that matter, are not the only things on your mind."

"Hmm?" Natsu sounded confused. "What are ya talkin' about?"

Lucy took a deep breath, then raised her head to look into his dark grey eyes. "It took a lot for me to open up about my relationship with Loke last year. I-I do not want to rush you on what I'm about to ask, but...who is Zeref?"

Natsu's eyes were lit up by the lantern above, he did not expect to hear that question tonight. All the thoughts of a childhood without the older brother from Alvarez flooded his mind, and he kept his gaze looking down at the pavement.

"Zeref is our older brother. He moved away ten years ago."

Lucy and Natsu both gasped, then turned around to find the young Wendy Marvel standing in the apartment doorway with a set of long-sleeved mint green pajamas on. She rubbed her eyes, then sat down next to Natsu.

"Wendy?" Lucy looked just as surprised as Natsu now, who chose to remain quiet. "Sorry, but d-did you know him?"

"No, not very well." Wendy replied. She sounded very innocent. "I think I was 5? Natsu was about 10 if I remember...Technically Zeref is only Natsu's brother. I was actually adopted."

"Really!?" Lucy did not expect hear any of this once she stepped out the door this evening. "I never even knew that! Are you two going to tell me you're in the mafia next, or something?!"

"No, stop!" Wendy smiled, and reached over to gab Natsu's hand. "I honestly forget sometimes, myself. Our parents were so nice to me growing up, and Natsu is the best brother a sister could ask for. I guess that's why I never really think about Zeref like Natsu does."

"Ehh?" Lucy looked back at her boyfriend, who sat sandwiched in between the two girls. As per his usual routine this entire evening, Natsu found his head retreating into the safety of his fluffy white scarf like a scared turtle as he buried his chin and mouth deep within the fabric.

"Oh would you give me that stupid thing!" Lucy ripped it from his neck, making sure it actually didn't tear before stuffing it beneath her right armpit. She crossed her arms again and yelled once more. "Natsu, Wendy is being so nice an open! I don't want to be mean, but...if you're this mad about it whenever it comes up, then I need to know more so I can help you get through it."

Natsu remembered back to the conversation he had with Makarov, then growled once more before rolling his tired eyes. "Fine, I already went to jail, tonight. Can't get much worse...ughh, Zeref is my older brother, okay? Lousy jerk. He's the smart one in the family."

Wendy added on. "That's a bit of an understatement. Zeref was told before leaving for college that his IQ was higher than anyone else in the incoming class. He went overseas to study in Alvarez, Vistarian College. I guess he's some big tech genius now."

"Yea...genius at being a butt..." Grumpy Natsu found time to talk again. "He's the same kind of person your dad is. All rich and uppity. He's on that big wealth list your dad ranks high on too, but Zeref might even be higher now. Doesn't matter though..."

"Why?" Lucy wanted to hear more. "So why do you hate him? You're an all-star FBA player! Who cares about him!?"

"Exactly." Natsu snapped back. "I _can't_ care about him...he never came back to see us. Even when mom and dad died...He never even showed up for the funeral."

And then, for the first time in her entire life knowing Natsu Dragneel, Lucy saw the star Salamander shed a tear, then another, finally crying into his lap. His arms were still crossed, but the tears fell to his knees as he sat on the stony steps surrounded by Lucy and Wendy.

Wendy took his left hand even tighter, and leaned a head on his left shoulder. Lucy, meanwhile, had no choice but to smile as tears formed under her eyes as well. She leaned on his right shoulder, and sighed while she rubbed his back.

"It's okay, Natsu...thank you for telling me."

The night ended as Natsu put his arms around both their shoulders, then kissed both girls' on the top of their heads. They went inside shortly after, and somehow found sleep among all the excitement and chaos.

* * *

**Oh lord what an emotional chapter! I told myself I wanted to have these certain groups discussing the aftermath of the club, then it just ran with itself. These characters are very fun to write. I'm more than glad I decided to write a sequel now!**

**1\. Gray is a filthy illegal!? Maybe he's legal, though, Natsu wasn't quite clear...also that first part was a joke I'm not nasty against illegal immigrants.**

**2\. Master Makarov emerges even in this AU realm. What a pro!**

**3\. Laxus fubs up his whole night, and tries to self-diagnose some infertility issues? Big-time pro! (and No I'm not writing a Laxus x Freed situation this is a Laxus x Mirajane story!)**

**4\. Then we get Natsu, Lucy and a little Wendy. _Aweeee!_ But Zeref Dragneel has been mentioned again! _Ooooohoooo..._**

**Chapter 6 will be some wedding planning and the first tryouts for the Fiore National Basketball Team! Until Next time! **


	7. 7 - The Fiore National Team

**Author's Note: Number 6! This one was longer but it came out to like 2 full chapters, so I split it down the middle. Enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Seven - The Fiore National Team

* * *

"Oughhh...I'm not getting back on that thing ever again." Natsu Dragneel wobbled off the stairway from an expensive Fiore jet as he landed his feet on the tarmac of a tropical island airport. He was trying to gain the strength back in his feet and stomach, and held up a line of very angry Fairies as he made his way to solid ground.

"Toughen up, Natsu." Gray Fullbuster emerged out of the jet doorway without a shirt as the early tropical sun hit his bare chest marked by a black Fairy tattoo. "You want to make the Olympic Team? Then I wouldn't let the coaches see you looking like this."

"Ah let them catch Salamander in his natural light, Gray." Gajeel had a tropical flowered shirt on and dark black sunglasses as he came off the stairs holding two square briefcases. His white slacks matched his vacation outfit, and almost gave a notion that this trip was more for pleasure and less for business. "The less competition we have, the better."

"Scaredy cat...blegh..." Natsu was on all fours as he looked up at Gajeel. "Someone tell me they recorded Gajeel saying he's afraid of me!"

"I don't believe anyone did." Jellal came out of the jet, followed by Laxus, and the blue-haired groom-to-be joined his team on the tarmac. "Besides, we're here to make the team as a group. It wouldn't be fun to see just one or two of us on the Olympic roster."

"True." Gajeel nudged an indifferent Laxus in the side, who for the entire trip had remained very quiet. "I'm surprised we all showed up with so much team spirit, _ghihi..."_

Laxus never even rolled his eyes, and stood looking around at the beautiful setting for the next week of practice. The Fiore National Basketball Team owned a private practice facility outside their headquarters, which happened to be built on a tropical island off the southern coast of the main continent. It's name was Tenrou Island, and the luxurious Sirius Basketball Compound was one of the most state-of-the-art athletic facilities in the entire world.

"You bet we have team spirit!" Natsu finally gained his land legs and raised a fist in the air. "The Magnolia Fairies are gonna conquer the world and win that Gold Medal all by ourselves!"

"Are we?" Gray walked passed him after grabbing his wheeled suitcase. "I thought the team didn't allow ex-felons on their roster. Does Jude even know you came along in the jet he lent us?"

The rest of the group laughed, while Natsu turned to look Gray right in the face. "I dunno, but I know Team Fiore doesn't allow foreigners on their team! Ever think now might be a good idea to get that citizenship card, Gray?"

Gray Fullbuster was now the one receiving all the laughter. In fact, it was true he was not born in the Kingdom of Fiore, but instead hailed from across the see out of a country called Alegria. This was the same country that Mard Geer and the entire organization of Tartaros called home, and it is also where Gray's parents were born as well.

"Psh!" Gajeel waved a hand as they met a group of servants working out of the sports facility to take their bags. He then continued. "No one actually checks that crap come tournament time. As long as no one calls you out on it, or no other country knows about it, then were fine."

"I suppose." Jellal was not convinced by Gajeel's simplistic thinking. "Didn't your father play for the Tartaros organization in his youth? I would only imagine that they have to at least suspect something."

"Yea, let's just hope Alegria doesn't make the Olympics." Gray waved the concern off and walked into the facility first. Natsu rambunctiously followed, then the rest of Team Magnolia made it through to the luxurious lobby of the SBC, lined with white floors, glass walls, and steel roofing to allow for maximum captivation of the lush tropical surroundings outside.

It would have left them a clear view of everything outside the transparent windows, if it had not been for the large crowds of players and officials covering every square foot of the room. People from all over the country gathered to meet one another and await the first scheduled tryout session for Team Fiore.

"_Maaan."_ One familiar deep silky voice shot across the room as the Fairies turned to see a group of old friends. "_***Sniff* *Sniff***_ It's quite a surprise to see the men from Team Magnolia show up for today's tryouts. Welcome, friends."

"Hey, long time, no see, Ichiya!" Natsu greeted the group of other professional basketball payers as they all surrounded the Fairies. "I see the Pegasus Team is ready to go today!"

"We're more than ready, Salamander." The handsome shooting guard for the Acalypha Blue Pegasus team, Hibiki Lates, gave the Fairy point guard a wink as he tried to keep up his confidence. "It looks like you've inspired quite the turn up from around the entire league."

"No kidding!" The shorter but equally as athletic small forward, Eve Tearm, joined in. "When you made that crazy announcement after winning the MVP trophy, all the payers who were eligible in the FBA signed up to try out for Team Fiore!"

"And it looks like the competition will be pretty involved this year." Ren Akatsuki chimed in. "But that's nothing we're concerned about."

"This is quite a large group of contenders, one of the largest gatherings I've ever seen in this building to be precise." A tall, and very experienced center from Team Lamia appeared with his fellow Margaret Town players, and gave the Fairies a bow. "It looks like this round of tryouts will be absolutely thrilling. I'm more than excited to see the talent that emerges."

"Hmph." Laxus Dreyar forced himself to laugh a bit as Jura Neekus shook his hand, then the other Lamias cut in to share what was on their minds.

"There are only going to be 12 spots open for this roster, which means a lot of people are going to go home empty handed." Yuka Suzuki stroked the end of one of his think eyebrows as he explained this year's competition. "All the teams in the league except Tartaros sent players to make the roster."

"Yea!" Toby Horhorta rudely interjected as he yelled over his teammates. "But those guys are all from Alegria, so they can't make our team anyway!"

"Precisely." Lyon Vastia had joined the group, and put his elbow up on Gray's shoulder as he turned to deliver a sly expression. "Only nationalized citizens of Fiore can make this roster. It'd be quite unfair if foreign-born players took any of those valuable seats on the team."

Gray turned his head away, and looked to the floor. The Magnolia Fairies were not the only one who knew his secret. Gray had known Natsu for a long time, but Lyon was his oldest friend on the league. He was the first friend he had growing up, and while Gray only spent a few months in Alegria, Lyon always knew Gray was from a different country.

"It's so sad!" The large group of players at the door were now being interrupted by a loud crying man's pleas on the other side of the lobby. "Why did our good Coach Jose not volunteer his skills to become an assistant coach this year!?"

"Aria, would you keep it down?" Totomaru of the Oaktown Phantoms was trying to keep his teammate, Aria under control. "We need to get experience under different coaches if we want to improve our game."

"No, no, no! Zi fiery shooting guard is right, mon bon ami!" Sol of the Phantoms studies the lobby floor. "Zey say true talent is only earned in zis sport once you play under ze legendary Coach Hades. He iz named _L'e__ntraîneur du diable!_"

"I know him." Aria was growing serious now."The great Devil Coach of Fiore. They say is heart is pitch black, even when he wins games. This will truly test the greatest talents in all of Fiore."

Sol finally caught something interesting in his monocled eye. "Ah! Our adorable Fairies have joined ze fret! Comme c'est amusant!"

"Agh not those weirdos!" Natsu shouted with anger as the rival Phantoms joined the group, and right away the flamboyant Oak Town Point Guard made his introduction.

"Commont ça va? If it isn't ze mighty Salamandre, himself?"

Totomaru spoke up as well. "Ah the Fairies are here. I shouldn't have expected anything less. I'm surprised Dragneel decided to show up, though. I highly doubt Coach Hades will take a man with a criminal record, even if you do possess immeasurable talent."

"Buddy," Gajeel stepped up. "There'll be two Fairies with criminal records in here if you don't get your lousy faces out of here!"

"Don't go doing that!" Yelled a fresh new voice. "These tryouts will suck if Magnolia doesn't compete! Can't go letting all you guys get arrested just for throwing a few punches!"

Sting Eucliffe and the rest of Saber City joined the large gathering now, and right away Sting mimicked Lyon's gesture of resting his arm on Natsu's shoulder. "Seriously, Natsu, you can't go hitting any more people. If I have to I'll go tattling on ya to Lucy!"

"Hey man." Natsu let Sting keep his arm on his shoulder, but kept eyes on the Phantoms. "I wouldn't go giving up this opportunity for anything. I'll prove I'm the best guy in this room, and I'll prove I'm the only one here who can compete with Alvarez."

"You always have something to say, Natsu." Rogue Cheney added in. "Let's hope this coach gives you a chance, after all."

"They say he's pretty evil." Gajeel laughed. "What about you, Baldy? You played in the Olympics last time, what's this geezer like?"

Jura's calm smile changed as he closed his eyes. "Coach Precht is quite a difficult spirit to work with. He can be very intimidating to both his opponents and his own team."

"That is very true." Ichiya, who also had experience playing on the national team, added more. "The great Coach Hades will not choose players based on raw talent or names. He will take every aspect of a player into account, and create the best roster Fiore has to offer. _Maaan._"

"He better." Natsu looked past everyone with a very determined expression. "I'll show him everything I've got just to make this team."

"Can I have your attention!?" Yelled a central voice near the help desk. "The first team meeting will be held in Conference Hall A. Please find a seat inside within the next five minutes."

_~Several Moments Later_

"And so, we are all very excited to continue our partnership between Fiore Basketball and the FBA." Commissioner Arcados was at a podium standing next to several officials on a wide stage as they greeted a see of Olympic basketball prospects. "Once again, I'd like to thank Chairman Kama Garou of Fiore Basketball for inviting me her to speak, and I wish all my players from the FBA good luck in their try-outs."

The crowd clapped loudly, and the purple-haired serious face of Chairman Kama took the podium. "Thank you, Commissioner Arcadios, and thank you to the FBA for joining us this year as we pave our way to the Olympics year X792. This will be exciting for all of our country's Olympic athletes, so I'd like to thank Representative Riana White of the International Olympic Committee for joining us here for the first day of Team Fiore's basketball tryouts."

The players clapped again as the blacked haired Riana waved her hand sternly to the crowd. She was Fiore's representative on the IOC, and made an effort to see all the Olympic training facilities before the games started in late July.

Chairman Kama waited for silence, then tried to wrap up his speech. "Now comes the exciting part. From here you all will suit up, and join some of our coaching staff on Court A for your first practice session. We wish you all best of luck, and at the end of the day, we'd like to remind all the players here that no matter where you come from, you are all playing under one banner this summer."

The players stood and clapped exuberantly as the Olympic officials left the stage, and while several players and teammates high-fived one another and loudly celebrated the start to the practice sessions, Natsu Dragneel stayed in his seat with two fiery eyes locked on to the last man standing on the stage.

"_Coach Hades...can't wait ta meet ya."_

* * *

We now find ourselves back in the busting heart of Magnolia, on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Several girls are all waiting inside a very extravagant tailor-made dress boutique in the center of the grand city's shopping district, and it's here that the bridesmaids of the Fernandes-Scarlet wedding try on an assortment of different dresses for the romantic celebration occurring later in the summer.

"I hope poor Erza knows what she's doing." Mirajane sat in a fluffy leather chair in a waiting room of the fabulous _Cherry Blossom_ clothing dress store as she pondered a few worrying thoughts to her friends. "Scheduling the wedding so soon is quite ambitious, but having it during the Olympic tryouts is only going to stress poor Jellal out."

Mirajane, Cana, Levy, Juvia, and Wendy Dragneel sat in the waiting room together as they talked with one another during a scheduled dress-measurement session for the bridesmaids of the wedding. Erza and Jellal only decided on having three members each with them in the main wedding party, which on Erza's side consisted of Lucy Heartfilia, Juvia Lockster, and Levy McGarden.

"True that." Cana spoke up as she talked through her flask. She, Mirajane, and Wendy were kindly invited to join the group for a day out, and in all honesty the brunette drinker was thanking herself that she was spared from having to be in the wedding. "Knowing her though, the poor sap probably didn't have a say in the matter."

"I'm just sorry you guys can't be in the wedding." Levy looked over to the three girls in the chairs as she twirled around in a radiant navy blue bridesmaid dress. "I guess that's what we have to expect though when the bride is a head basketball coach...then she makes the boys play a game of knockout to decide what couples will be in the wedding party."

"It's just the absolute worst!" Juvia was wearing a matching dress to Levy, and pouted to herself as she looked in the mirror. "First Gray lets Jellal propose before he does, then he let's Natsu win the knock-out game to claim Best Man! Now I don't even get to enjoy being in this lousy wedding!"

"Didn't Gray throw that game?" Cana laughed to herself. "And wasn't Natsu the only one really trying?"

"Yea..." Wendy sighed as she sat in a large chair with her hands crossed over her knees. "He said Gajeel was taking it up to the very end against him, but then Erza and Jellal came clean about what the prize would be, and after that Natsu was basically just playing himself."

"Yea, I couldn't see Gajeel as the best man...come to think about it I can hardly see Natsu being it either!" Levy laughed as she fluffed her hair in the mirror. "I hope he was thinking about Lucy when he took on the challenge."

"Oh I bet he was!" Mirajane brought two hands up to her right cheek. "He'll do anything to fight for her! Now they get to be the Best Man and Maid of Honor together!"

"Hmph." Juvia was turning a dark shade of purple as she sulked over in the corner of the dressing room. "I may just skip this stupid wedding...then have my own private wedding with only Gray and me."

"Sure, go ahead." Cana laughed. "Unless your's is going to have an open bar too, then sign me up!"

Inside the adjacent private dressing room, Erza Scarlet stood with her hands in the air as the rather rude tailor was finishing up her needlework on the expensive white dress worn by the bride-to-be.

"Hold still, unless you want this needle to poke you where the sun doesn't shine." The tailor was a middle-aged woman, whose clothing appeared to be too short and revealing for her age. She wore high heels and a ridiculous red dress paired with expensive jewelry. A necklace adorned with a large amount of pearls, sea-shells, giant earrings and numerous bracelets. It was quite the outfit for the elderly owner of a famous clothing store.

The woman also wore a fur animal of sorts hanging around her neck. This was complemented by her giant thick-rimmed glasses as she tried to finish her work. "Almost done here...then we can discuss the bill."

"Yep...and I bet I'll be the one paying for it." Lucy Heartfilia stood back with her face buried in a hand as she leaned on one hip, wearing the same navy blue short dress that Levy and Juvia had on. It's straps were less than an inch wide, and the skirt shot out slightly at the hip to hand just above the knee in an elegant but tasteful fashion. The neckline was very low, but kept to a moderate height to not expose too much skin, although that would normally be accepted for a summertime wedding.

Her head filled with terrible reminders as she tried to talk herself through this long afternoon. "I'm really flattered to be the Maid of Honor, but I wish Natsu would have told me about the knock-out competition so I could have thought about it first."

"You're doing a fine job at it so far, Lucy. Please, don't worry." Erza looked back at Lucy through the large curved mirror. Her hair was pulled back in a fluffy tail hidden behind a long white veil. She looked absolutely stunning as she patiently waited for the tailor to finish the stitching. "I'm embarrassed that all of this has taken so long. I thought my measurements were more accurate than the ones I gave the store!"

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, they looked to be pretty old." The tailor woman groaned. "I'm not sure what you were thinking...your waist is really trim, but your figure is much more mature than what the paper said. You might be one of the finest models' we've ever had."

"Oh, did you hear that, Lucy?" Erza spoke with glee as stars filled her eyes. "I'm a star model, even for such a boutique as this!"

"Yea yea...keep bragging about it." Lucy rolled her eyes as she now felt more insecure about her own body. She then let out a long sigh. "You do look really pretty though, Erza. I hope Cancer will be able to work the wedding like promised. You'll love the way he'll style your hair. He's so creative!"

"Is he?" Erza thought. "Well then I can't wait to see him in action. All this planning just gets me more and more excited."

"And you're not nervous?" Lucy asked with genuine concern. "I'd be freaking out if I was getting married in a month!"

"No, I've been oddly calm about the entire thing." Erza admitted patiently. "Jellal claims he's fine too, but I'm worried I'm over-stressing him."

"_Yea..."_ Lucy mumbled to herself. _"He has two months __to__ try __and__ make the national basketball team. Piling on a wedding in between wasn't the smartest idea in the world."_

Erza failed to hear that and laughed. "I've waited my whole life to be married with a man I love. It's truly a dream made into reality."

Lucy's cheeks flashed red. "I'm happy to hear that! I'm sure Jellal would be happy to hear it as well. You're both so lucky!"

"Mhmm...and you?" Erza kindly turned around to change the subject. "I heard you were expecting Natsu to propose after the finals match last week...I'm sorry to hear he let you down. I'll be sure to teach him a lesson on chivalry once he's through with his practice!"

"No no, t-that's quite alright!" Lucy raised her hands as a sweat drop poured down the back of her head. "Natsu's got a lot on his mind. I never actually thought he'd propose. Just a stupid love bug that Mira planted in my head."

"Really?" Erza smiled, and saw through her words. "Lucy, you do love him though, right? I imagine you'd be perfectly happy if he got down on one knee for you."

"Well yea, obviously I would..." Lucy looked down and felt the creeping red blush covering her face again. She started playing with the long ponytail dangling from the right side of her head. "But I don't want to force him into spending the rest of his life with me. I'm a patient girl. I can wait."

"That's very reassuring to hear." Erza delivered a soft, and very kind smile for her good friend. "But I cannot! I thought it would be lovely to see what you'd look like in a white dress of your very own..."

She stepped off the podium prematurely, and angered the grumpy tailor as the stitch-work stopped. Erza opened one of the garment closets on the side of the wall, and revealed three more dresses of equal beauty and radiance.

"I had these ordered to your liking!" She beamed with an ignorant smile. "I took the sizes you submitted for your bridesmaid dress, and had the tailor work up three models for you too! It figured it was the least I could do for my Maid of Honor!"

"EHH?!" Lucy stood back, almost horrified. "Erza that's really sweet of you, but I don't want to take up your scheduled time to try on my own..."

"Nonsense!" Erza pushed Lucy to the pedestal and snapped at the tailor while she grabbed the first dress. "Undress and wait patiently while the tailor and I work our magic!"

"Great..." The tailor rolled her eyes and grabbed a fresh set of tools. She then mumbled loudly under her breath. "This is the girl who's hip size was several inches bigger than the measurement on her card if, I remember correctly. Eh give me a minute here..."

"Grr…." Lucy's forehead was now bulging with anger as Erza giddily started unzipping the blonde's blue dress for her. "I'm about to call in a family favor to have this place leveled."

"TADA!"

A few moments later, Erza emerged wearing a beautiful wedding gown and veil as she pushed Lucy out into the bigger room to greet the others. Lucy too had on a luxurious white dress as she tried to hide her blushing red cheeks from the other girls.

"Ooooh!" Mirajane clapped with joy as she sat up in her chair. "You both look so amazing!"

"Wha-?!" Wendy was taken back. "D-Did my brother propose too!?"

"Heh." Cana let out a laugh and pulled out her phone to take a few pictures of Erza and Lucy. "No, but he is going to be getting a picture of his blushing bride-to-be here in a minute."

"I hate this..." Lucy sighed as her eyes fell to the floor. "I hate everything about this."

"Calm down, Juvia!" Levy wanted to make a kind remark as well, but was too busy holding onto a now sobbing Juvia, who erupted into tears when Erza and Lucy both emerged wearing wedding dresses. "Only Erza is having a wedding. You can be the next one to get married! Gajeel is very stubborn, so I don't expect anything from him at all!"

"WHY ME!?" Juvia yelled uncontrollably. "WHY DO I HAVE TO BE NEXT IN LINE TO THAT HEARTLESS BLONDE BIMBO!?"

"Well, if I'm being honest on which man was going to propose next, I was going to put my money on Gray." Erza admitted while she held a finger underneath her chin. "But after my astonishing handiwork on your dress, Lucy, I think I just solved your problem. Natsu will be sure to propose to you in know time looking like this! Ah, I always manage to out-do myself every time."

"Grr...OKAY, I'M _OFFICIALLY_ OUT OF HERE!" Lucy stormed back into the dressing room, and started taking off the expensive white dress. "I just hope Natsu's day is going better than mine!"

* * *

The large gathering of professional basketball players was still very loud inside the expansive Court A of the SBC. Players from around the league were wearing their best athletic training gear and fresh new basketball shoes to try and impress one another, but the group that seemed to gather the most attention were the two-time champions of the league, the Magnolia Fairies.

"Come on, let's see those rings!" Olga from Saber City rudely yelled over to the Fairies as they all tried to ignore the hassling. "I bet they're not even real gold!"

"Hmm, if my memory serves me correctly, I believe the rings this year were in-fact made of gold." Rufus nodded as he tried to think back. "Though last year was the fiftieth anniversary of the league, so I imagine those are made of platinum."

"Yep." Gajeel grinned as he stood next to Jellal and Gray. "And they got shiny stones in 'em too, but you losers don't need to see our hardware."

Laxus and Natsu stood nearby as well. The tall blonde center had said nothing during the entire duration of the trip, but now Natsu Dragneel felt the need to raise his voice.

"If anyone wants to see our rings, you'll have ta make the national team along side all five of us champions come tournament time! We'll lead this sorry country on the road to gold and glory!"

"Hmph. So this is Makarov's Fairy team?" Said an elder voice with stern power. Precht Gaebolg stepped out to court side to great his assembled prospects.

"Well you're certainly entertaining. Let's see if you have what it takes to make my team."

The room had gone silent as all eyes froze to look at the great Coach Precht Gaebolg make his entrance known. He had a small staff waiting behind him, including a few familiar faces.

However, no one noticed them yet as the stern Coach Hades carried on. "I've often heard young people refer to their mistake as life experience, but true mistakes do not yield experience as there is no coming back from them. When you mistakenly declare yourself to making my roster, it's usually a sure sign you won't be passing my first cut-off."

The crowd tried to keep quiet, but many players whispered and laughed as all eyes turned to a very angry Natsu, who kept his grey eyes locked on Hades.

The senior coach carried on. "All of you may talk big, although I can't blame you. There's an air of confidence that comes with youth, but it's not indicative of your skills. Fiore is just a small piece to a large world sport. The game of basketball has evolved over the many years since the days of its founding. I played on the very first basketball team ever assembled, and even after playing over seas, it was quite known that Fiore was the home to this sport.

"However, over the past few years our royal title has been rightfully stripped from us. Alvarez has created the greatest basketball dynasty the world has ever seen, and while I'm not satisfied in admitting they're better, I know when to admit that a foe is superior."

He then made sure the room fell absolutely silent before making his next remark. Even his silence carried more volume than most of these players had ever seen.

"No one in this room will be bringing home the gold medal for basketball in this year's Olympic Games. Even the twelve men who make my roster will lose to Alvarez, or any other team along the way. It is not appropriate to expect anything out of the ordinary when 10 of the 12 roster spots are being replaced. I still expect very good things from Fiore this year, but know that winning some ridiculous golden trinket should not be your true concern."

"Grrr..." Natsu fists were curled into fists, and nothing would undo them as he continued to eye Precht with fierce rage. If he ever needed Lucy in his life, now would be the time.

"You will each learn how to play on a real team of dedicated souls, or you will leave my facility now before wasting my time."

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"

The room was stunned, and the other Fairies from Magnolia looked on with disbelieve and annoyance. Laxus stepped forward to grab Natsu's shoulders, but the fiery point guard tore himself away as a sea of FBA players parted in front of him.

"Gramps said you were the coach who taught him how to play ball, but with all this crap your spilling, there's no way he learned anything from you!"

"..." Precht stood in front of the audience, and continued to eye Natsu with no change in his expression.

"HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO LEAD ANYONE BY TELLING THEM THEY CAN'T WIN ANYTHING!? WHAT KIND OF COACH ARE YOU!?"

"The kind that actually shows up to the tryouts." Hades responded. "Which reminds me..." He turned around to his assistants, and looked over to a youthful woman standing in the middle.

"Minerva, congratulations. You will be my direct assistant coach. Miss Scarlet will be working underneath you. The Fairies are off to quite the start this year. I'll have to inform Makarov that he's failed miserably once again."

While the victorious Minerva Orland from Saber City looked very smug about earning her new title, Jellal's head sank as he tried to hide his face. Erza knew the tryouts was also a time for the new coaching staff to introduce themselves, but she chose to hold her dress party during the first day, and skip the entire practice at the start.

Precht did not care about that, now. He instead slowly walked forward, and towered over Natsu like a looming shadow.

"Natsu Dragneel. I've heard too much about you. From what the league press displays, you're the only player in the FBA. I'm sorry the cameras and publicity were able to trick you into believing that you'd be the Hero of Fiore this year, but know that in order to make that Olympic roster, you first have to make it past me."

He walked past Natsu, and started to address the rest of the players. "If anyone else here is willing to throw away their only chance of making my team, speak now. Otherwise, divide yourselves into groups of five."

* * *

**Yikes! Master Hades is just like he is in the show! I hope Natsu didn't just make a mistake...again.**

**My favorite part of writing this chapter was the Erza and Lucy scene. The real Fairy Tail does not have enough moments between these two, which is a damn shame! I'm also glad this chapter was able to introduce Coach Hades. He's going to be a very important part of this story.**

**Can Natsu overcome all obstacles to make it in this tournament? I dunno, find out later.**

**Until Next Time!**


	8. 8 - Reassuring Words

**Author's Note: Well here is a new chapter for you! **

**I've actually been enjoying some basketball lately, despite the crazy pandemic. If there are any NBA fans out there, I recommend watching "The Last Dance" on ESPN. Really good documentary about Michael Jordan and the Bulls 90's glory! I'm not even a Bulls fan and I'm having a blast watching it!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Eight - Reassuring Words

* * *

Natsu was stretching out his arms as he sat in a row of folded seats making a bench near the side line of Court A. He had only been on Tenrou Island for a few days so far, but already he had earned quite the recognition from every person in the luxurious sports facility.

This attention was not positive.

His Fairy teammates were all around him taking their own seats along the bench, and the fresh group from Magnolia were waiting for their turn to take the court for practice drills and 5v5 scrimmages. Originally they thought that they were one of the lucky teams who brought at least five men from their franchise, which theoretically would leave them all with easy decisions to make when forming their team.

"None of these guys know how serious we are about making this roster." Natsu affirmed his men. "Let's remind them all what happens when the five of us take the court together."

"This has been a pretty lousy idea so far." Gray sounded less confident than his fiery best friend, and was already leaning back as they watched two other teams matching up for a scrimmage. "I can only imagine the coaching staff wanted to see players making 5-man teams with guys from different franchises. Should we all really be playing together like this every day?"

"Not an option." Gajeel reply sounded unenthusiastic. "Thanks ta Salamander's big gaff, we all have great big targets on our backs. No way in hell players from around the league would team up with any of us now."

"That may be true," Jellal admitted. "But we need to let them know it'll be a grave mistake for trying to count us out. We are the players that has what it takes to challenge Alvarez's high-energy style of play."

Laxus sat on the end, and kept his arms crossed and mouth shut as he watched the other players competing on the court. Jura was leading a team with Lyon and Dobengal from Saber City on his flank, and the three FBA All-Stars executed a brilliant strategy to get around the towering wall of a center, Hoteye from the Oracion team underneath the rim. They also made quick work of the clumsy Toby from Margaret Town as he tried dribbling down the court on the return play, and even faked out the nimble Sol of the Oaktown Phantoms as the great stone center from the Lamias provided an excellent alley oop to Dobengal for a fresh basket.

"Teams 9 and 1, trade places with 5 and 2."

After ten minutes, Coach Hades had wondered over to their court again, and demanded that the current players change roles with two other teams sitting on the sideline. The two teams from before left for water, and the new basketballers took the practice court for a fresh ten minute scrimmage.

"This sucks!" Gajeel kicked his water bottle over to the side. "That old coot has passed on us three times! He's even letting that first team play again before giving us a shot!"

"No joke, that's ridiculous." Gray sat up, and noticed Hades walking away as he went to the other end of the facility. "He's already seen both of these teams play, and now he's not even bothering to watch them."

"Our team's toxic." Laxus finally spoke up, and stole the focus of Gray, Gajeel, and Jellal at the same time.

The lightning center for Magnolia explained. "Precht won't play us because one of our teammates is already off his list."

The three heads turned to their other side, where Natsu Dragneel was staring into the floor with eyes lit by fire. Gray could even feel his own body temperature rising as he just sat by Natsu, and shifted in his chair to get around it.

"So what do we do then?" Gray asked. "We can't just split a team because the coach is acting all immature about what Natsu said. There's no way that guy hasn't seen an outburst like that from an FBA player before."

"We have to find a new fifth." Laxus never moved. "Sorry, Natsu. No offense, but I want to see if I'm right...if it's just you he hates, or all of us."

"Agh ain't no way in hell I'm lettin' the rest of ya go out there and hog all the glory without me!" Natsu stood with steam coming off his head as he put his foot down. "When this ten minutes is up, we're all going on that court whether he likes it or not!"

"Yea, but I'm with Laxus." Gajeel turned around and eyed the other teams sitting back in the wings. "Let's just see something...Hey! One of you losers needs to get over here and join our team, now!"

"HA!" Laughed the talented guard, Cobra from the Oracion Seis. "Get bent, metal head. No one's joining your dumpster fire team as long as Salamander is lighting the fuse."

"It's almost too funny." His teammate from Cait Shelter, Midnight, leaned back in his seat and grinned. "You all came in here acting high and mighty, but now the coaches don't even want to see you play."

"It's also too sad!" Cried out Aria from Oaktown. "Why would that Devil of a coach not give the Salamander his chance on the court!? Truly a travesty to the sport itself!"

"It certainly is." Rufus Lore from Saber City agreed. "If my memory serves me correctly, Dragneel had a similar outburst like that in a public setting not too long ago. One could see where that would make Hades's mind up as well."

"Butt-out, weirdo!" Natsu turned around and yelled at the shooting guard from the Tigers as he tried defending his own case. "There's a reason I said I'd be going to that Olympic tournament after the season ended!"

"Yea, it's because your a loud-mouthed asshole who can't keep his temper under control." Cobra walked over and came around to their side of the bench. "But I'll shut you people up if you'll ask nicely."

"Okay." Gajeel shrugged. "Looks like we got us a new point guard, hehe." Gajeel stood from the bench as the clock changed to zero. He then signaled to one of the assistant coaches as he pointed to everyone in the group but Natsu.

Hades had decided to turn back that way, however, and caught on before anything was determined. "Team 4 and Team 6. Take the court."

"HA! Laxus was right!" Gajeel howled with a shrill laugh and shoved Natsu back into his chair. "Stay in that chair if you know what's good for you, Salamander."

The four fairies labeled Team 4 took the court, with Cobra taking their lead, but Gray had turned around to give Natsu a sorry expression. The fiery point guard was fuming even more than before now, until the loud voice of Sting Eucliffe took the air.

"Coach, I'mma need to get my ankle re-wrapped. Natsu can take my place, though!"

Natsu's eyes were wide open now, and he and the others all turned to Hades, who never made a reaction, and simply turned the other way for the second court. Natsu giggled with delight, and stood to high-five Sting.

"Thanks buddy, I'll make sure he picks you as my back up for the roster."

"How thoughtful." Sting rolled his eyes. "Just don't make me regret this..." They held hands for a littler longer, and Sting drew his mouth closer to Natsu's ear.

"_Seriously, don't fuck this up...think about Lucy, or something."_

"_One step ahead of you."_ Natsu knew he'd have to keep his temper down on the court if he wanted to remain here at the tryouts, and knew keeping his favorite person in his mind would ease things for his ten minutes of play.

He was going to need it too, because his opponent featured four of his very own teammates from Magnolia.

Laxus stood at the center ring, with Gray, Gajeel, Jellal, and Cobra all behind him. On the other side was Aria from Oaktown, flanked by his team of Midnight, Rufus, Ichiya of the Blue Pegasus team, and Natsu Dragneel.

"Man! Let's keep up our same intensity as before, gentlemen! We played well earlier, and I'm sure after two good scrimmages, we'll win the attention of Coach Gaebolg in no time!"

"Easy for you to say, Little Man." Midnight scoffed at Ichiya as all the players took their positions. "You made the roster last tournament."

"True." Aria spoke up for their temporary team captain. "But with the Great Coach Hades, there is no guaranteed favor for any of us."

Laxus and Aria stood eye to eye, and lowered their bodies for the eventual tipoff. The ball handler tossed the basketball in the air, and as both players left the court, Laxus managed to get a whole hand behind it as he tipped it to his back.

Gray took the ball, and turned down court. "Gajeel, set up under the…!"

"NOT SO FAST! AHAHA!" Natsu Dragneel cut him off, and quickly intercepted the pass from Gray to Gajeel. He flew through the other Magnolia players, and spun past Cobra down low to sink an easy dunk.

"Nice going, idiots." Cobra took the fallen ball and passed it to Gray. "In bound it, but try to get it to one of us next time."

Gray rolled his eyes and took the ball to the sideline. He passed it back to Cobra, who took the ball swiftly down field. Midnight pressured Cobra on the perimeter, and forced him to pass off to Jellal on the side, who gave it down low to Gajeel on the post.

The mighty Power Forward palmed the ball away from the tiny Ichiya guarding him and grinned. "So little guy, you think you can really keep this up for another big tourney!?"

"HE DOESN'T NEED TO! NOT IF I'M ON HIS TEAM!" Natsu came around and popped the ball from Gajeel's outstretched hand, knocking it loose and securing it for a breakaway. Jellal ran up to him, but Natsu swung it around his back, and looked at Rufus on the other side of center court. He faked a pass, and bounced the ball around Gray as he took a mighty leap from the free throw line and slammed away his second dunk of the morning to take a bigger lead for his team.

Cobra shook his head, but Laxus back pedaled away down court. "Hey, you chose to play with us as long as he wasn't on our team, remember?"

"Yea?" Cobra scoffed. "You were the idiots who didn't want to play with him either! I think you guys are setting us all up!"

"Believe me." Gajeel scowled. "If us setting something up involved letting Salamander humiliate me, I wouldn't be so quick to agree with it."

"Well none of you wanted him ruining your chances to make the team." Gray butt in. "Look where it' got ya."

Cobra ignored all that and tossed the ball into Jellal, who turned for their end of the field. He dribbled it back at the arch, and studied the spread as he tried to make his next move.

"_Hmm...these lines are moved inward. I suppose international basketball has a shorter perimeter." _Jella smiled, and stepped back to put up a three pointer, but noticed that he put too much power behind it as it hit off the backboard and bounced away from the rim. Laxus rebounded, and went to put up a dunk, but not after the Salamander jumped in the air and slammed the ball against the backboard out of his hands.

It went loose, and Aria scooped it up quickly, making a long pass to Rufus at the center court. Rufus played it to Midnight, who gave it to Ichiya very quickly. Gajeel and Cobra were guarding below the rim, waiting for Ichiya and the others to make their move, but Cobra turned to notice Gajeel moving around with bizarre foot-play.

"What the hell are you doing, metal head? Trying to learn a new dance?!"

"Bite me, beady eyes!" Gajeel snapped back as he moved himself in and out of the paint. "I'm counting off my three seconds!"

"It's Olympic ball, you moron! There is no zone penalty!" Cobra rolled his eyes and pressured Ichiya. "You fairies are too stupid for your own good. It makes me wonder if you even have brains."

"BALL!" Natsu yelled like a maniac as he came running in from the right, and asked for a pass.

"Man!" Shouted Ichiya in a very quick burst. The short man from the Pegasus team nodded, and shot up a high-arching pass across Cobra and Gajeel's heads.

Gajeel was still standing out from underneath the rim, and Cobra was all alone in the paint as Natsu slammed a posterizing dunk clean over his head. He dangled over the angry Oracion player for a few seconds and laughed.

"Yea, we fairies may not have brains, but we definitely have wings!"

"Ugh, time out!" Gray turned to the officials standing on the court for the scrimmage, but Laxus rolled his eyes and interrupted his request.

"No player time-outs, Gray. Only coaches can do it in the Olympics. Seriously, Cobra isn't wrong. You kiddies need to do your homework before coming into this tryout next time."

"It won't matter, anyway." Jellal laughed to himself as he turned to see the red numbers on the playclock wind down to zero. "If we can't even score a single point in a ten minute scrimmage period, then are we even ready to perform at this level after all?"

"Probably not." Cobra started walking off the court before the coaches even said a word. "But one thing is clear. You guys suck without Salamander."

"Teams 4 and 6, off the court. 10 and 3, fill in."

The current players all slowly wondered off the court as they exchanged places with the new prospects coming on, but Natsu kept his eyes focused on Coach Hades, who stood looking at everyone with his arms crossed.

He then wondered off on his own, this time even away from Gray and the others. He went to a cooler stand to grab a drink of water, but felt two hands slap his shoulders.

"Dude! You were an animal out there!" Sting laughed in support as he congratulated Natsu. "That Hades guy stood with M'lady the entire time. He was watching you the whole scrimmage!"

"Mgggh screw him." Natsu appreciated the support, but spoke his mind. "He didn't even want me on the court."

"True, but you did play a very impressive ten minutes." Rogue had now joined them as his game on the other end of the arena had just came to an end. "I saw Coach Minerva taking notes and asking questions to Hades every time you touched the ball."

"Really?" Natsu turned around with an eyebrow raised. "Would ya mind trying ta get a hold of her notes for me? I'd love to see what they say!"

"I dunno." Sting waved his hands. "She can be pretty snappy from time to time. Maybe if Rogue asks, he kind of calms her down."

"Perfect!" Natsu's smile was back as he turned to Rogue. "Tell her to gimmie the notes! Hell she can email me or something!"

"I'm not doing that!" Rogue argued back. "She'd rip my head off just for trying to manipulate her! Plus there's probably a confidentiality thing that keeps players from getting to hear the coaches' thoughts. She'd never break that for a Magnolia player."

"Ugh, why? Cuz she hates Erza so much?" Natsu rolled his eyes and splashed his face with water. "Not her fault we have a better Head Coach."

"Maybe, but at least ours is punctual." Sting laughed and shook his head. "Erza is suppose to be an assistant coach too this year. You think she'll actually show up tomorrow?"

"Dunno." Natsu replied. "But maybe if she does I can have her pick Hades's brain for me! That's a good idea, Sting!"

"Huh?" Sting was lost. "No I mean she'll probably lose her job if she fails to show up again. There's no way Hades will even discuss rosters with her..."

"This'll be awesome!" Natsu cheered to himself as he wandered back over to the benches. "I'mma get her on the phone right away and tell her to get her butt here asap!"

Sting and Rogue both watched Natsu walking away from the cooler, and sighed with confusion.

"I'm rooting for Magnolia, but they're all off to a pretty lousy start." Sting admitted as he took a sip of water.

Rogue nodded and grabbed a cup for himself. "Yes, and if we go into the Olympics without them on our team, we probably won't make it past the first round."

_***SLAM***_

The main doors at the center of the complex flew open, and all players, officials, and coaches turned to find a very athletic but disheveled figure walking briskly through the doors.

Erza Scarlet's hair was pulled back into a high pony-tail, but the end looked to be split in several ways signifying a rough morning for the tardy assistant coach. She gave nobody in the entire gym her eye contact, except her superior, Coach Hades.

"Geeze." Gajeel leaned over to whisper in Jellal's ear. "Looks like the bride isn't getting enough sleep."

"I was worried all of this would be too much on her." Jellal replied back as they all watched Erza comically bow in the presence of her new boss and partner coaches across the hardwood. The scrimmages carried on, and Erza spoke to her new team.

"I am truly sorry, Sir. My month has been quite a busy ordeal, but I do not wish to let that impede on my responsibilities to this team and nation anymore. I ask that you please forgive my lateness to this practice session."

"I accept rather graciously, but your new supervisor probably holds conflicting opinions." Hades turned slightly to the smug Minerva, who stood next to him with a very satisfied grinning face.

Minerva was so pleased, she practically chortled. "Well, I can forget a few days of absence, as long as the rest of the week receives double the effort from Erza Scarlet."

"Absolutely...ergh...ma'am. I'm here to work, and nothing else."

"Splendid!" Minerva clapped her hands and placed her clip board in Erza's hands. "Take this report to the coaching team on the other side of the room, and make sure to grab me a hot cup of coffee on your way back. I'd prefer it if you leave it black, please."

"Hmph." Hades tried ignored them both, and stayed staring at the court. "Minerva, you can deliver your own report. I actually need to speak with Miss Scarlet alone."

Both girl's felt their eyes grow wide, and as they delivered two equal glares in each other's directions, Erza Scarlet stood standing alone with Coach Hades.

"You have had quite the successful two years. Two championship titles under your belt in only two years of coaching. Makarov has taught you well, it would seem."

"Y-yes." Erza was usually the most confident figure in the Magnolia franchise, except for Natsu, but for the past month her mind had been so scrambled that she hardly felt herself anymore. "But I only have my success because of our fine players and organization. The team ownership all the way to the bench players is made up of the best people in the FBA. I'm truly blessed to have them in my life as such an early member in the league."

"Hmm." He sounded impressed, but only for a brief moment. "Your father was a brilliant man in this sport, if I can remember correctly. Rung Scarlet developed quite the radical coaching philosophy during his time in the early FBA."

"Oh, y-yes he did, Sir." Erza never really kept in too much contact with her parents, but she did speak with her father during certain times in her life. "He started out coaching at Hargeon University even when he was a student enrolled there, then had a small playing career in the FBA. From there he only coached as an assistant in the FBA, but he enjoyed his time in the league."

"I know." Precht firmly replied. "He was my assistant for a few years in Crocus."

"Right, I had forgotten about that! You were one of his many mentors." She replied slyly.

Precht watched his prospects playing on both courts, but started to enjoy his conversation with Erza more and more. "When I left Magnolia as a coach in the early 80's, I went to Crocus because of the incredible offense your father developed. Quite the family dynasty of basketball he's created."

"Yes...it is." Erza was now worried for where the conversation was starting to turn.

"And your mother." He finally said it, with a small grin forming under his great beard and mustache. "Lady Irene is the biggest star the WFBA has ever seen. Shame her daughter never followed in her footsteps."

"A shame to some." Erza's timidness was quickly being replaced with anger. "I have had an odd relationship with both of my parents growing up, but my father has at least always stayed in touch."

"I figured as much." Precht laughed to himself and turned away to take his one break. "It will be very interesting to see a mother and daughter coaching on opposite sides of the court in this year's games. One more thing that makes the fight against the mighty Alvaerz nation that much more entertaining."

He let her stew in her own anger, but Precht also left Erza on one final thought. "By the way, our current roster is Magnolia-free at this stage in the selection process. Your punishment for arriving to training late can be attempting to convince me to keep even one of your pathetic players for my Olympic squad."

* * *

The first week-long tryout session had come to an end, and now the Magnolia Fairies were soaring through the skies inside a private Heartfilia jet on their way back to their home city.

Gajeel sat in a section by himself near a window looking out into the night sky. Laxus sat on the other side of the cabin as he too looked on miserably at the black clouds passing by.

Gray and Natsu sat together at a table with a laptop computer opened up in front of them. Gray leaned out in the aisle with a drink in his hand, and Natsu was bent forward in his seat holding a pillow firmly to his stomach.

"Still no good?" Lucy was speaking through the computer on the other end of a video call as she looked at Natsu struggling to get through the flight. "I thought that pillow would help you for sure since you've never really tried something like that!"

"Bleughh!" Natsu kept everything inside his mouth, but sighed painfully as he looked up at the screen. "Nope, no good. Wendy said she found my medication sitting beside my bed though, so I know I didn't lose it..."

"Thank the lord for her." Lucy shook her head. "But it's still your fault for leaving it behind..." Lucy turned away from Natsu and looked at her other Magnolia friend. "Sorry Juvia didn't want to join me, Gray. I asked if she wanted to share a video call with me to talk with you guys, but she called me a hussy and said she didn't want to share her beloved Gray with another woman for the evening."

"It's fine, thanks." Gray kept looking away. "Probably for the best, anyway. We played like ass the entire week."

"HEY! _Bleurgh_...hold on!" Natsu sat up, and bent forward again. "I rocked all week! But only when that old monster decided to let me play!"

"I'm sorry things didn't go so well for you both." Lucy replied through the call. "If it makes you guys feel any better the wedding is coming up! We can all have fun without that nasty Coach and his staff!"

"Yea, speaking on that...Erza's lucky to even have her job still. I guess we can be happy knowing that one Fairy is going to Era this summer, eve if her only job will be carrying bags for Hades and Minerva."

Era was the host principality of the Grand Olympic Games.

Lucy let out a long sigh. "Yea, needless to say she probably won't enjoy herself if that's the case...well if it counts for anything I earned an internship opportunity to cover the Olympics! So that's two Fairy ladies heading to Era!"

"Really?" Gray turned to the screen with a smile. "That's awesome, Lucy. Congrats."

"Hehe..." Natsu let out a few more moans before turning to face Gray. "My girlfriend is better than yours..._bleugh!_"

"Please stop gagging whenever you talk about me." Lucy sighed again and put a hand to her face. "Anyway, I think you're both wrong. Even if all five of you can't make it, that selection committee would be crazy to not have _one_ of you guys go!"

"It'll be me...I keep tryin' ta ell people that, but no one listens to...meugh!"

"Yea, that's because you can't get to Era without losing your stomach." Gray rolled his eyes. "Anyway, hope your internship goes well, Lucy. Sounds like a great opportunity."

"It should be, but I'm a little nervous." She started playing with her hair as she leaned back. "My major is more focused on written journalism, but this internship is a broadcasting opportunity. I'm working one-on-one with Fiore news outlets as they cover each sport. I hope they let me stick with covering basketball."

"Hold on...isn't _he_ one of Fiore's biggest news guys?" Gray did not want to bring it up around Natsu, but felt safe enough seeing his teammate lying half sick beside him.

"Ugh yes..." Lucy moaned and lowered her shoulders. "I'll probably have to do some work with Loke by the end of the assignment."

"Grr...lousy ass hole Imma give him a piece of my mind if he..." Natsu was rolling himself toward the airplane window as he tried forcing himself to sleep, but kept mumbling profanities and curses underneath his moaning breaths as he checked out of the conversation.

Lucy had no choice but to laugh after seeing his reaction. "It'll be fine, Natsu. I'm a big girl. I'm just hoping to get a lot of good work out of this. I've never been to the Olympics before!"

"Pretty exciting stuff." Gray nodded as he took a sip of his late-night drink. "Maybe you can get some good footage for us and bring it back home to the loser's club."

At the front end of the jet cabin, Jellal and Erza were sitting together in a paired set of seats, and the worn out coach let her red head of hair rest on his shoulder as they tried venting their own thoughts to each other.

"I knew he considered you on Makarov's behalf, but I never realized it was actually because of your parents." Jellal stirred the liquor in his high ball glass with a straw as he looked down at the ice floating around inside it. "They say Irene Scarlet is the assistant coach for Alvaerz this year."

"Irene Belserion." Erza corrected him as her eyes looked forward down the jet's hallway leading to the front cabin. "She re-married, divorced her second husband, and returned to using her maiden name. She's been in Alverez for the betterment of two decades now. I can't stand either of my parents, but at least one of them has had the decency to stay around."

Jella cracked a smile to try and calm his fiance down. "So I take it she won't be coming to the wedding?"

"No." She spoke firmly. "But he will. I didn't want to invite Rung, but he asked, and I allowed it."

"I met your father when I was a player in Crocus. He worked with that organization even after his retirement. A brilliant mind for basketball offense. Quite bizarre that I'll be seeing him again for the first time since leaving at his own daughter's wedding."

"I suppose..." She kept looking forward, but reached over and took Jellal's hand. "Just know when I'm smiling down that aisle, it will be for you, and not him."

"I'll take your word, Erza." Jellal smirked again while taking a sip of whiskey. "And what has Coach Hades had to say all week? Even with you showing up late, it seems like he picked your brain for the betterment of three or four days."

"He did, but you don't want to know what he had to say." Erza turned even more away from Jellal, but kept her right hand holding his left.

Jellal shook his head and rolled his eyes. "If I'm not on his roster, so be it. It makes no difference to me."

"After an entire week, only one player from Magnolia has made his cut."

Erza spoke out without thinking, and a small silence fell over both there shoulders. Jellal shrugged it off briefly, then let out a few small laughs.

"Oh-kay, that's quite the bit of news to hear...I'll spare you in asking which one it is, but I have my own guesses."

Erza leaned on her open left hand as her elbow supported her chin from the left armrest. Her one leg was tapping up and down, and her grip on Jellal's fingers was growing tighter. "I've helped coach a failing franchise to back-to-back titles, and I come from a very famous family in this sport. If I can't even help my own players make the Olympic Roster, then what good am I as their coach to help them become better athletes?"

Jellal let go of her hand, and placed it just under her chin. Her softly turned her head in his direction, and gave her a confident smile.

"Erza, you have made us better players. None of us would have even been in that try-out session if it hadn't been for your guidance over this past year."

Erza's brown eyes were as large as they could be as she let Jellal carry on in his thought.

Jellal took her hand again. "Winning our first championship under Makarov was impressive, but winning back-to-back titles in the FBA is almost unheard of. Only a small number of franchises can say they've done it. You are the youngest head couch in the history of the league to ever lift that trophy. Makarov and Warrod Sequen invited Precht to our games this past year because of the team you helped develop. There is a reason you made his coaching staff at such a young age."

He finished his drink, and set it down on the table in front of them.

"Show the world the how you earned the title the _Fairy Queen._ She the Olympic Games how Coach Titania will represent Fiore in brilliant fashion."

"Jellal." Erza's eyes were starting to narrow as she tried to hold up a few small tears. She leaned her head on his shoulders, and placed both hands in her own lap.

He sat still, and put an arm around her, bringing her closer to his side.

"Take your rest, Erza. These next two weeks will fly by."

"I'm counting on it." She replied quietly as a deep breathe left her lungs. "The day I've waited my whole entire life for..."

* * *

**Well shit, speaking of the great MJ, ol' Natsu Dragneel is quite the force to be reckoned with too on the court! Even in his sophomore year in the League...**

**Erza finally made it to the practices, but she still may be in trouble. And then a little sweet Jerza before the big chapter next time...and next time? A union of _holy matrimony!_ Big, BIG, _BIGGER_ than that set chapters next time!**

**Stay healthy until tomorrow for me!**


	9. 9 - Mister and Misses Fernandes

**Author's Note: Well we're in the midst of a dreaded medical pandemic, but by god, I had a very soothing environment when writing this chapter yesterday. It was a pretty spring day, my window was open, wind kept rolling by, I had some beautiful bluegrass playing in the back ground, and a heavy drink at my side. I was in a good place for writing this next installment, and what an installment it is...**

**No more holdup, enjoy! **

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Nine - Mister and Misses Fernandes

* * *

"These dresses are amazing!" Lucy Heartfilia twirled in front of a long mirror as she showed off the style of her deep blue bridesmaid dress. The dress clung tight to her body from her chest to about her naval, and flared down a bit more creating a high-waist skirt just above the knee. Despite the dark blue color, it was a summer dress, so sleeves and straps were left off in favor of a bare shoulder look.

Levy nodded behind her friend as she wore a matching dress to Lucy. "They really are amazing, aren't they! Thank Juvia! She was the one who decided on the shade."

"I suppose I'll take some credit." Juvia timidly nodded as she looked in her own mirror and played with her hair, which was tied high at the back of her head, and hung down in a small tail. Wavy bangs framed her pale face, which was quite the rare look for her. "Though Erza was the one who picked the style. More thanks should go to the bride."

"That's only half of it Juvia, the color works so well!" Lucy turned to give her a smile and took both of Juvia's hands. "Plus your hair looks so amazing, today! You really need to wear it like that more often! I wish I had curls and waves like yours!"

"R-Really?" Juvia's face turned red as she took the compliment. She had behaved rather oddly around Lucy and Levy leading up to the wedding, but at the end of it all, she decided not to let her own emotions ruin their friendship. "Yes, well thank you. You look very stunning too, Lucy!"

"I think we all do." Lucy admitted as she turned to take Levy's hand with one of her own. "I doubt we'll have to worry about out-doing Erza, though. Last I saw she looked amazing in her wedding gown."

"I wonder how she'll do her hair?" Levy pondered. "Usually the bride's party helps the bride on her wedding day, but I guess your servants have her covered, Lucy."

"Not servants, more like friends." Lucy beamed. "I asked for their help today, and they all volunteered free of charge! My dad's writing them a check anyway, especially Cancer for helping style the wedding party out. I just hope he tones down his whole 'baby' shtick."

"Yes, well I hope the guys are as open to his recommendations as we are." Juvia took her small bouquet of red roses tightly in both hands. "Gray isn't a man that likes being told what to do."

"Nor is Gajeel...hehe, he can also be pretty eccentric sometimes with the way he dresses if left unchecked." Levy's head ducked down, and almost fell into her own bouquet as she held it higher to her face.

Lucy sighed, and turned to look out the nearby window. "Yep, Natsu checks the stubborn box as well. As long as his tie is tied and his shoes along with it, he can do his hair however he'd like."

Juvia sighed. "Yes, and as long as Gray is wearing anything at all, I guess I can't complain."

* * *

We now find the men getting dressed in their own luxurious changing room line with expensive carpets along a dark wood floor. Tall windows let early-day light into the room, and Natsu, Gray and Gajeel were putting the finishing touches on their very own outfits. Navy blue suits with a matching shade to the ladies dresses, and sharp red ties paired with matching right pocket squares to center them out. A bright red rose was also pinned to their left lapels.

"Man, I can't believe we had such a lame bachelor party for Jellal! No going out or nothing! Hell the girls even stayed in too!" Yelled Natsu as he undid his tie for the third time trying to get it right.

"It's your fault, dumb ass." Gajeel had his hair slicked back behind his head, though the lower end of his long black hairdo was still bushy like a rodent's tail. "You're the one who beats people up if we go out in public anymore!"

"And you're not?" Gray sat by the door scrolling through his phone as he paid them both very little mind. "You've gotten in way more bar fights in your career there, buddy. Natsu's was only so recent, that's why Jellal decided not to do anything."

"I guess." Natsu threw his hands in the air after leaving the now fist-size knot alone around his neck. "A little weird that Laxus and Mira aren't in this party thing either."

"Erza only wanted three people each. Plus, they're both pretty older than all of us, except Jellal." Gray traced a finger up the glass of his phone. "Mira and Laxus didn't seem crushed though. They'll probably have a better time than any of us."

"True." Gajeel smirked as he fixed his tie and turned from the mirror. "But we'll all be rocking the reception after I get my hands on the karaoke machine."

"Ha! Fat chance!" Natsu turned for the changing room door and pushed it open as he left the room. "I'm not lettin' my ears bleed just ta hear you shouting the same crap like usual into a microphone!"

Gray never looked up, but commented on his teammate's exit. "Hey Flame Brain, your knot's too big."

"Hey Pervert." Natsu snapped back as the door almost shut him off early. "Your pants are still on the floor!"

The door shut behind Natsu, and Gray looked up from his phone to find that he was still in his underwear as the rest of his lower outfit was still sitting neatly folded on the dressing room floor.

"Psh." He ignored it and kept reading his phone. "I'll get 'em in a minute."

"Buncha morons." Gajeel took a flask from his coat pocket as he took a sip and looked back in the mirror. "At least I'll be the best looking guy on that stage."

* * *

Natsu took a sneaky stroll through the back halls of the prestigious Kardia Cathedral in downtown Magnolia. The old stone church walls let a lot of echoing noises pass through the back rooms, especially in the direction of the lobby and main chapel. He could hear dozens of people cramming themselves into the church for the exciting romantic event, and tried to get a peak of it all as he wondered to the end of the hall, and gently pushed open one of the two grand doors hiding the back hallways.

"What are you doing!?" Lucy Heartfilia had caught him just before he stuck his head out to see the lobby, and turned Natsu around to face her in a whisper. "We're all trying to remain unseen before the ceremony! Please don't upset Erza by going out there and making a big scene!"

"Relax, I know what I'm doing!" Natsu gave her a smile and took her by the hands. "Besides, only the bride needs ta hide her face before the big show. We should be allowed out there to mingle with the guests and get the crowd warmed up!"

"This isn't a basketball game, Natsu..." Lucy felt her eyes roll on their own in annoyance as she took his tie knot and started to undo her boyfriend's previous over-sized handiwork. "Besides, your uniform isn't quite ready for tip-off. Hold still!"

"Hehe!" Natsu stood with his hands on Lucy's hips as she re-tied his bright red tie. "You really are helpful, Lucy. I like the tie-color too, bright red! Goes well with a dark blue suit!"

"Erza and Jellal do love red and blue." Lucy agreed. "But it is a little odd for a late-spring/early summer wedding. I expected them to pick something a little warmer. Dark blue and bright red seem a little more wintery to me."

"Nah, it's personal to 'em!" Natsu laughed. "Red and Blue, it's totally Jellal and Erza! Makes me think about us."

"Y-yea?" Lucy had undone Natsu's tie knot, and almost dropped the two ends as her face started to share its bright red color. "W-what do you mean by that?"

Natsu shrugged, and brought a hand up to scratch his head. "I dunno. If it were us up there, I bet we'd go with the hair-thing too! Pink and Yellow stuff all over the place. Hey, those are pretty warm colors, aren't they! Perfect for this time of year!"

"Haha, umm, yea I guess they are..." Lucy just wanted to finish tying Natsu's tie before her entire upper body turned deep red, but she found just enough strength to change the subject. "A-anyway, if you were just trying to get a peak at the guests' faces, you could have just asked me about who all will be here. I know the entire guest list by memory."

Natsu shrugged and leaned back on the door to let one of his eyes slip out to the grand cathedral lobby as he tried gathering another sneak peek. "Nah, I just got bored talkin' ta Gray and Gajeel. The Perv won't get dressed, and Metal Head won't stop humming to himself."

"Well, I guess I can be happy that my boyfriend may not be the number one contender for ruining this wedding..." Lucy sighed as she just finished a trim double Windsor. She tugged on his lapels to straighten his jacket right after. "As long as you keep your cool when you find out who some of the guests are..."

"WHAT THE HELL IS _HE_ DOING HERE!?" Natsu's entire face was out the door crack now as he almost yelled to alert the whole room. "That bastard invited Coach Hades!? What a jerk!"

"Natsu, get in here!" Lucy finished her work, and pulled Natsu's tie to wrangle her friend back into the hallway. "You have to keep a level head today, okay? I mean you can't blame Jellal for inviting Precht. He _is_ trying to make the Olympic roster..."

"Actually, Erza was the one who gave him the invitation. She set the entire plan up, herself."

Both of them turned to see Jellal walking down the hallway in a bright white suit, almost showing as a silver color as he joined them at the door. He wore a navy blue vest underneath, and a small red rose over his left lapel. His medium blue hair was clean but rather plain as usual, and his hands were deep in his pockets as he looked out to the crowd with Natsu and Lucy using the second twin door.

"I can't blame her though, a pretty genius move, if you ask me."

"I guess..." Natsu turned away with a grumpy attitude. "Makes sense Hades would actually _want _to come to a wedding...these things are so stupid."

"Quit being rude!" Lucy slapped him on the shoulder, and took his arm with her right. "You're the Best Man. You even get to deliver a speech in front of all these wonderful people you're so desperate to hate."

"Oh trust me, I remember...hehehe" Natsu's clasped his hands together as his angry frown turned into a devilish smile. Lucy and Jellal sighed, but keep looking out the doorway.

"Well, you both look amazing." Jellal confirmed. "A handsome couple for a special day."

Lucy laughed at that. "Well thank you, but this is _your_ special day, remember? You look good, Jellal! And don't worry...I'm only going to be the _second-_best looking girl here!"

"Yea?" Natsu re-joined them. "Cuz right off the top of my head I can think of one, two, three, four..."

She smacked him again, and Jellal let out a loud laugh that forced him to shut the door. "Ah, take care until the ceremony, Natsu, Lucy. I'll see you both down the aisle."

He left for the dressing rooms, but stopped to say one last word. "Oh, and let's stop peaking out that door. I just noticed another face in the crowd that won't help Natsu's temper."

"Huh? What's that suppose to…?!" Natsu grabbed the door, but Lucy took his ear first as she dragged him down the hall behind Jellal.

"Eh, noticing that guest list from earlier, I can only imagine who Jellal is talking about...of all the people for Erza to invite."

* * *

_~Now moments before the main event~_

* * *

"That's a hell of a crowd, and I thought Laxus and Mirajane got a big word out for there wedding last year..."

Gajeel Redfox was looking out the main doors of the cathedral chapel as he and the rest of the wedding party stood in the lobby all alone, with the exception of a few ushers and church officials. Levy lowered her head beneath his as her brown eyes doubled in size.

"Wow, it's like a crowd for a game in South Gate Park. I've never seen a wedding so big!"

"No joke..." Gray was joining them. "I know she sent an invite to half the league, but the entire country too? Commissioner Arcadios is here and...is that the President of Fiore!?"

"Oh Gray..." Juvia's head was pressed to her beloved's back as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I hope you can invite President Toma to _our_ wedding some day!"

"Is _that_ what she's hoping for?" Lucy leaned up and whispered in Natsu's ear. "That one will probably be a little too dressed-down for the Fiores."

"Heh dressed-_down__!_ Good one, Lucy!" Natsu laughed and gave her a small, cheeky high-five. "They'd probably make all the guests come shirtless!"

"Probably..." Lucy tried to blink away the awkward image of a shirtless _Fullbuster-Lockster_ wedding. "I hope this whole thing goes well. And I hope you can behave yourself, today!"

"Relax!" Natsu had her arm locked with his, and took her hand as he pat the top reassuringly. "This day'll breeze by! We'll celebrate, get all fired up at the reception, then be back on Tenrou Island for Round 2 of tryouts before we know it! You can come out with us since you'll be covering the Olympics too!"

"I guess I can." Lucy was starting to hate bringing that topic up around Natsu. "I'm a little worried about what Jellal was saying before. I overheard him saying things to my dad about..."

"What?" Natsu sounded clueless. "Does he know something that I don't!?"

"Natsu…?" Lucy turned the two of them away for a bit so their words would not go out the door. "He said only _one_ of you guys is set to make the Olympics, remember? I didn't want to remind you, but now that you've forgotten I'm more worried that..."

The piano organ started to change tunes from inside the grand chapel, but Natsu's laughing had drowned out the lobby as he gave Lucy another smile.

"Lucy, relax! I'm going to Era to win a gold medal. Count on it, and be ready for the interview once that Fiore flag hangs high above the Olympic court."

"Okay okay..." Lucy watched the doors open as she gave him a slightly confident pat on his shoulder. "I believe you, Natsu. I'll keep my faith."

The crowd was standing behind a wide series of church pew benches now, and all heads had turned to see Gajeel and Levy emerge as the first couple from the wedding court. Gajeel smirked confidently as he led Levy down the aisle, and Levy gave everyone a smiling wave as she leaned over to whisper into his ear.

"Can I be honest? I'm a little nervous right now!"

Gajeel laughed to himself, but noticed she was still smiling, and realized that even with her concerned words, Gajeel knew why he fell in love with Levy in the first place. "Short stuff, keep that smile on. It'll be us walkin' down this thing for real one of these days."

"Wha-?" Levy's smile changed as she almost fell down on the red carpet leading to the altar. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Geehee!" Gajeel turned his head slightly as he leaned down. "I' ain't no idiot, ya know. Our time will come, girlie. For now just be patient, and let's just enjoy the day."

Levy looked up at Gajeel grinning like a madman, and beamed with delight as she squeezed his large arm tighter. They released at the end of the row, and stood off to either side of the stand.

Next was Gray and Juvia. Gray was the one who decided to wave politely to the rest of the crowd, and even held on a small grin while he did it. "Man, this is pretty easy. Even with all these people staring at us with fake smiles."

"Yes, I agree." Juvia was turned the other way with great big eyes. "How wonderful, it looks like your parents received an invite as well."

"Yea, they told me about it. Jellal and Erza are both from pretty big FBA families, and my dad used to play in the league, after all."

"That's right, he did." Juvia let an old thought return to her head as she turned to Gray. "Say, Silver used to play for Tartaros, didn't he?"

"Yea." Gray kept waving. "For almost a decade. Mard Geer was one of the assistant coaches back then, but he was like my age when he got that job."

"Interesting." Juvia admitted as she clutched his arm.

"Why?" Gray was starting to get worried. "My old man was a pretty good athlete, and Tartaros is a successful organization. Not as good as me and the guys in Magnolia, but ya know."

"Yes, but they have their own unique history." Juvia's eyebrows raised up. "I remember Bora always telling me that the Tartaros organization only takes players from the country of Alegria. It's because they became an expansion team into the FBA from Alegria, then they transferred their operations to Crocus as a new hometown."

"Mgh." Gray was done with the conversation, and released her arm as they made it to the alter.

Juvia looked very sad, but tried to hide her face from the rest of the crowd as she followed herself up the steps and stood in front of Levy. The short-haired Levy even put an arm on Juvia to try and get her cheered up for the rest of the ceremony.

Then, Natsu came barreling down the aisle at a brisk pace as Lucy barely clung on from behind.

"Natsu, what the hell are we doing!?"

"I'm not letting Gray and Gajeel beat my time!" Natsu's eyes were on fire. "We gotta get there before the next chord hits that piano..."

"Natsu stop!" Lucy snapped and tugged him down to a slower halt. She then looked at him and smiled. "I'd rather just ignore them, and try to slow down and enjoy this."

"Really?" Natsu felt so insincere now as her beaming face looked up at him from the side. He then gave her a nod. "Usually ya get all shy when you're with me in public. But okay, as you wish!"

They started to move again, which now gave Lucy time to sigh. "Well, now I feel awkward since we ran out from the door like a horse race...I guess I can never be happy about anything."

"Ah chill out, Lucy! It's such a pretty day." He waved at the crowd with his shiny FBA toothy grin, and pointed out the great painted glass windows lining the cathedral hall. "See? Everything's so bright and shiny! You told me today would be special, and it looks like you're right as usual!"

"Yea? I guess it is." Lucy gave everyone a confident wave and a smile as well, and the celebrity couple made it halfway down the aisle before the blush had made its way to Lucy's cheeks.

She also saw her father, Jude, looking at them next to Coach Dreyar on the left side of the church. She gave him a bright smile and wave, and hung to Natsu even tighter than before. Her father actually smiled back, and even held a look of approval deep within his eyes.

"Maybe..." Lucy was normally quite void of such a nerve when talking romantics with Natsu, but now all of a sudden she felt a swell of confidence take her shoulders as they walked into the warm scene and colorful music. "Maybe it can be us next time, taking the _big walk_ down the aisle...hehehe..."

"Huh?" Natsu obliviously started to look around, and double-checked that the were in-fact walking down the church aisle that very moment. "Well I think Jellal and Erza are supposed to come next, Lucy. Weren't you paying attention during the rehearsal last night!?"

"Mhm..." Lucy shook her head in frustrated embarrassment before she carried on. "Never mind, forget my point..."

They split, but not before Natsu kissed Lucy with a peck on the cheek. The front crowd chuckled in laughter, and a small chill ran up her spine as she now joined a giddy Levy and a newly angry Juvia.

Then, the audience all turned to see Jellal Fernandes walking into the great Kardia Cathedral chamber flanked by two other figures. On the left was a man matching Jella's height and hair-color, though his appeared to be longer than the son's. This had to be the father, and he had a stern, still face for the audience, while Jellal held a calm, confident smile. On his right was a woman with silky green hair who had to be Jellal's mother, though she looked so youthful in a deep red dress and beautiful makeup that she could have passed for his sister.

They made it to the front and released their son to the altar. Jellal joined Natsu at the top right, but the fiery Salamander placed his hands firmly on Jellal's shoulders and started to give the groom a fresh massage from behind.

"Just wait buddy, it's almost time for the big moment!"

"Natsu, you're too funny." Jellal smiled and shook his head, and as he received the ring from a small boy, and watched the dark-haired daughter of two family friends tossing pedals of roses along the carpet, the room grew quiet in the shifting of music, and all eyes turned to the main doors.

A man and woman passed through the archway of the cathedral's main chapel door. The organ had shifted to a classic processional (think _Richard Wagner_), and a veil was covering the calm face of the bride-to-be. She wore a brightly exquisite dress that followed her upper body like a second skin, no straps or sleeves over her shoulders, and the long gown's skirt flared out slightly at her hipbones to dangle past her high-heeled feet. Her long silk gloves went over her elbows up her arm, and a bright bouquet of sharp blue roses, matching the groom's hair, was firmly held in her strong hands.

Next two her looked to be quite the different image of an escort. He was middle-aged man with long, dark hair, droopy eyes, and a small goatee. His dark-grey suit and deep green tie looked more like a suit of armor on his thin but wide-shouldered frame, and even he held no smile as they made it to the end of the row.

Lucy had glanced back over to her father's side, and saw Coach Makarov pulling out fresh tissues to wipe his gushing eyes of their tears. She now thought that maybe it would have been better to let _him_ walk the bride down the aisle instead.

The man stepped up to the altar, and passed his daughter's hand to Jellal. They nodded at one another, and the father took his seat on the bride's side.

Jellal took a deep breath, and raised the veil to see Erza Scarlet in all her beauty, with her long waterfall of red hair tied back behind her head in a wide, wavy tail. His right eye was usually surround by a red tattoo, but now his entire face was framed in a dark crimson color as a weak breath left his lungs.

"E-Erza? You look stunning..."

"Jellal..." Erza tried to smile after being forced to walk down the aisle with her uncomfortable father. "I've been waiting all morning to see you."

"What a coincidence?" He agreed with suavity. "I could say the say the same thing...come, let's get married."

"That _sounds_ splendid." Erza wanted to give him a smile, but now her eye's were both twitching as she looked at the man behind the wedding altar. "But why is _he_ here?!"

"Maaaan!"

The three groomsmen all laughed hysterically underneath their breathes, and the three bridesmaids looked at their feet with anger and discomfort. Jellal put a hand behind his head and softly chuckled.

"Apologies, but he is a work-friend. And more importantly, he also happens to be an ordained minister."

"Maaan!" Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki held up two fingers and a thumb as he addressed the bride and groom with a silky smooth voice, wearing an over-sized black robe over his own white wedding tuxedo. "Rest assured, you two, no man in the entire league knows love, beauty, and_ romance_ as well as I do. Such a sweet, fragrant parfum on this fine spring morning! It nearly brings my heart to a stop!"

"See?" Jellal supported Ichiya as he smiled for his bride. "He's harmless."

"Yes." Erza barely agreed, and tugged upward on her low-cut strapless wedding gown. "And he's been staring at my chest this entire time."

"Maaan..." Ichiya held a sultry grin and put two fingers underneath his chin. "I always thought I'd be the first FBA player to strike such a relationship with the ravaging Erza Scarlet, but I suppose I was too lazy in my delay."

Erza raised her bouquet over her head like a sledgehammer, and went to slam it on Ichiya's bushy orange head. The crowd softly laughed with a collective noise, and Jellal took her hands and nodded.

"Erza, please. Let's enjoy this."

"Uhhh, fine...okay, I can remain calm...for you." Erza shivered away all her nerves, and looked over at Jellal with a striking smile. "This is our day."

"Dear friends, and loving family!" Ichiya's voice boomed through the old church hall. "We are thankfully gathered here today under the heavens and all their creation to celebrate the blooming parfum of love between two exceptional friends. Let us begin this wonderful union, and wish Erza and Jellal the best in their future!"

And as if the minutes passed like seconds, the prayer was said, the vows were shared, and the handsome groom kissed his blushing bride in a romantic feat. Mister and Misses Jellal and Erza Fernandes were united in holy matrimony once and for all.

The entire ceremony was a beautiful event to say the least. Unlike the wild reception that followed after…

* * *

**Maaan! I thought the idea of Ichiya wedding Jella and Erza would be funny. Jerza is finally united in this universe!**

**Now keep in mind during the last story, Hardwood Heroes 1, I had to write a lot of stuff I normally hate to deal with IRL like cliche high school stuff involving Wendy and Lucy and such. Here I had to put my pride aside again to write a wedding..._ughhhhhh_, I hate these these! But I tried for the story, hopefully it worked! **

**Also please remember while I love Jerza, and this is their day, please don't be too angry with me if Natsu and Lucy get a little more camera time than the others. They are the main couple and characters, and this story is even more focused on them compared to the others and the last story. Also I'm not writing an entire god damned wedding ceremony with prayers and vows and stuff. Just...no.**

**Anyway that's quite the way to leave off, very ominous...we'll have to wait until next time I guess! (I actually wrote the whole wedding as one chapter, but it came out well over 10,000 words which is just a tad too much for my type of stories. So the reception is coming tomorrow.)**

**Until next time! **


	10. 10 - A Wedding or a Wake?

**Author's Note: Hey I notice people coming to this sequel after reading the original! Apologies up front for how many god damned typos are in that old story. This one probably has some I've yet to notice, but I re-read _Hardwood Heroes 1_ recently, and wow! I left a damn typo in almost every chapter!**

**Now...the reception. Big ol' party of celebrities across Fiore. Let's see how this ends...**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Ten - A Wedding or a Wake?

* * *

After leaving the crowded Kardia Cathedral, team owner Jude Heartfilia had invited the wedding couple and all the guests to use South Gate Arena as the venue for the extravagant wedding reception. It took a small while for each guest to make it to the mighty FBA arena at the other side of down town, but once traffic halted after a few easy phone-calls from the wealthy FBA owner to the town police department, the real event for the day began.

Dinner was on pause while the tarp-covered court filled, which left things rather free-flowing and rambunctious until the meal. Here all the guests wondered about at their own leisure until it was time to eat.

"AHAHA!" Natsu was downing several cans of beer all at once as he stood from his chair in a bout of joy. Several characters from around the league including star forward for the Quattroo Cerberus team, Bacchus Groh had decided to join him, along with recently retired coach Makarav Dreyar, his former mates, and Fairy team dancer Cana Alberona.

"Damn, Salamander!" Bacchus wiped away several drops of beer from his face as he tossed his can behind his head. "You really are wild! Maybe you need to take that talent down to Quattro next season and join us in Cerberus-town!"

"No way in hell!" Natsu cheered with delight and raised a new beer can. "Magnolia til I die!"

"Amen to that!" Makarov chuckled with him and let his seventh can loose to the floor as he kicked his tiny legs up on the table. "Goldmine, quit telling you players to poach my boys!"

"Sorry, Makarov." Coach Goldmine of Quattro chuckled and sipped on a class of champagne. "My boys are too wild to control all of the time. That team here in Magnolia is getting pretty crowded though. Don't any of you guys want your own spot light from each other every once in a while? Bacchus here is our only future Hall of Famer, after all."

"HA! Get bent, big hat!" Cana wiped away her own wine-mustache as she slammed an empty glass down on the table. "The Fairies are loyal to a fold. There ain't no way you can split up our boys!"

"Ooh, such a fun bunch here in Magnolia!" Coach Bob from the Acalypha Pegasus team covered his chuckling face as he brushed off the pants of his brightly colored eccentric pink tuxedo. "Reminds me of the old days!"

"Ah yes, they were mighty fine indeed, hehe." Yajima sat near the group and nodded while fondly thinking of the past. "Shame Jose couldn't join us to recreate the Fab Fairy reunion. He isn't much of a party guy, anyway."

"Yea, cause he's a light-weight!" Makarov chuckled as pulled out his own flask of liquor. "Erza's grandpa, Rob was a hell of a sport, though. I do sincerely wish he could have been here to see her get married off."

Yajima's partner in front of the camera, Chapati Lola, had been there as well. "That was quite the era for basketball in Fiore. Maybe we need to find Coach Gaebolg and have you guys swap stories for a quick fluff piece?"

"Oh YES!" The head writer for Fiore's _Sports Report Weekly_, Jason, shrieked in all his joy. "We can nab a quick interview from all the Magnolia Fairies, old and new! So _coool!_"

"Bleh!" Makarov, Yajima, and Goldmine all yelled out and waved their hands. Bob then spoke for them all.

"That old bag is too much of a grump have fun at a wedding. I can't believe Coach Hades showed up."

"Yea, _*belch*_, kinda a smart move on the couple's smart, _er_ part." Bacchus scratched his chin as he undid his shirt to let out some air over his muscular chest. "Not a bad way to try and make that Olympic roster, though..."

"I'll say _*hic*,_ but let's talk about _your _chances of makin' that team over a fresh pair of drinks, hehe." Cana had wobbled up from her chair to grab Bacchus by the arm, and took him to the open bar.

Natsu's head started to hurt after that, and he slammed his hands on the table as a response. "Well, this is boring! I'mma go find Lucy!"

The star player left for his friends, while the old men looked up and laughed.

All but Makarov, who crossed his arms and felt a small brush of sobriety take his eyes. "Keep your eyes on that one, boys. He's going to be making history if he keeps his head on straight."

Natsu never found Lucy, but instead ran into the groom sharing a story with his family and fellow friends.

"Yea, I remember the time I had five dunks over your head, Sieghart! Man you were even slower back then!" Silver Fullbuster took a drink from his glass and gave Jellal's stern father a pat on the back.

Sieghart Fernandes, the patriarch of his family, let a small part of his lips curl up. "Yea, we even had quite the team back then in Cait Shelter. You men from Tartaros have always been pretty good, though. Mard Geer has four straight titles with that team."

Silver shrugged. "Hey, the Fiorens invented the sport, but forgot to perfect it. I'll admit Alvarez is sharp, but Alegria will be winning one of those three medals this year. We even have Mard Geer coming out of retirement to coach 'em. I'm just waiting on making my bets until I figure out what color it'll be."

"How funny!" Juvia stood between Silver and his son, Gray, as she clapped her hands together. "Gray and I were just talking about your days as a player, Silver. He thinks he's gotten better than you now."

"Mgh." Gray's arms were crossed as he turned the other way, and started to undo his own tie. "My dad would break his own knees if we both met on the court in our primes."

"I would?" He laughed and reached over to rub Gray's head. "I remember schooling you on our home court when you were growing up. My knees were fine, but your ankles probably needed to be looked at anytime we finished."

"Bahaha!" Natsu blurted out laughing and pointed at Gray. "You're so lame, Gray! Even your dad thinks so!"

"What brings you over here, Fire Breath?" Gray waved the air away from his nose as he could smell the alcohol on Natsu's cheery breath. "Did Lucy finally get tired of your stupid face?"

"Hah, no!" Natsu wobbled back and forth for a moment and put a elbow on Juvia. "Just trying to see everyone and have fun!"

"That's probably for the best." Juvia calmly took Natsu's arm and lowered it off her shoulder. "I think I saw her talking to..."

"Bleh bleh bleh!" Gray shut her up and stuffed a drink in her mouth. "So pops, did you and Erza's dad ever meet in the FBA?"

"Hmm?" Silver looked around to Erza and her father talking to Coach Precht a few spaces over. "Yea, but he only played a few years. Hell of a coach, though. Reinvented the classic FBA offensive scheme!"

"I guess." Jellal's emerald haired mom shrugged slyly and took a sip of wine. "Too bad he couldn't master his wife as well as the court."

"Raina, please." Seighart softly scolded her. "He's family now. I'm am quite worried that Irene never even bothered to show up to her own daughter's wedding, though."

"Don't be." Jellal raised a red glass of wine to his lips. "Erza never even sent the invitation. We talked about it, but I decided she is her own person, after all."

"Man." Gray shook his head as his tie was now off, and a few buttons of his shirt had been loosened up. "She never even invited her own mom to her wedding? Must be a hell of a relationship."

"Psh, no worse than my family! Let's go ask her!" Natsu slammed Gray on the back, and stumbled away from the group to trade a conversation with the husband for the wife.

The rest of them looked on, until Silver chuckled. "That kid is in a world of his own...hell of a shot, though."

"Yep." Gray rolled his eyes as now his jacket was placed on a near-by chair. "Best in the league if you ask the reporters."

"Gray, darling?" Juvia reached up to grab her boyfriend's attention. "Your jacket...oh, never mind...I'll just stop trying."

Natsu had wondered over to the small group of Warrod Sequen, Precht Gaebolg, the bride's father, and Erza Scarlet herself standing in a half circle drinking champagne.

His own sister, Wendy, was even standing beside the bride with her date, Romeo Conbolt as she lowered her eyes upon her brother's arrival.

Despite her own stress from the previous month, Erza delivered a calm smile to their new guest. "Ah, Natsu. I hope you're having a good time."

"Psh, of course!" Natsu's hands rested on his hips, and his eyes traced the group in a buzzed focus. "I came ta check on you! Looks like a fun group. Hey Wendy!"

"Hi, Natsu..." She looked displeased to see his eyes so glazed with red. "I hope you're staying healthy."

"No kidding." Romeo held a cup of soda, trying to act cool for the grown ups surrounding the circle. "Dad wanted to come out tonight to make sure you'd get through the night without busting someone up, but he decided to take the night off with my uncle."

Erza nodded and addressed the rest of the group. "Romoe's father is Macao Conbolt, of the _Flash and Smoke_ agency. Coincidentally, he also happens to be Natsu's personal agent."

"..." Precht stood with no drink and kept his arms crossed as he looked displeased to see the new arrival. Warrod Sequen, his close friend on the other hand, chuckled and slapped Natsu on the back.

"Ah, the young Dragneel! Precht here was just talking about you!"

"Really!?" Natsu's voice rediscovered its sobriety as he heard that quote. "No kidding!"

"Actually, I am!" The bushy green-haired Warrod howled with great laughter as he now slapped the mighty Precht on the back. "He's been very quiet this entire time!"

"..." Precht Gaebolg remained that way, but that did not stop Natsu from smiling confidently to the others in the group.

"Well let's go ahead and change the subject, cause now I'm here!" Natsu cheered and put an arm around the older man to his left with shaggy brown hair. "Nice ta meet ya, name's Natsu!"

Erza's glass was covering her face as she reluctantly raised her hand in a giggle. "Father, this is Natsu. Natsu, my father, Rung Scarlet."

"I know him." The man's voice held no emotion for his daughter's announcement. "Star Point-guard for the Magnolia Fairies. Quite the warrior on the field."

"Hah, ya think!?" Natsu cheered himself on. "Glad someone here does!"

"Oddly enough, to say the least." Warrod interjected. "I highly doubt you would fit well in Coach Rung's style of offense, young Salamander. It would even make _your_ dragon wings tired going up and down the court."

"Indeed." Precht Gaebolg the devil coach added finally. "Rung Scarlet is famous for developing a high-paced facilitating offense based on triangular passing. The _Scarlet Triangle_ they call it. Not much of a scheme for a player with a narrowly dwarfed mind such as yourself."

"Pshh!" Natsu waved that away. "I can fit into any offense, any time!"

"Natsu may be right, for once." Erza was confidently smiling as she genuinely supported her star player. "He certainly can adapt to anything I throw at him on the court. I've even used father's style in games for the Fairies. Natsu can hold his own wherever he needs to."

Things grew quiet, but Precht's eyes did not leave Natsu, which even started to chillingly sober up the rowdy point guard from his near-drunken stupor.

Natsu took a deep gulp, and slowly turned around. "Yea sure, uhh this is a boring group too...man, gotta find Lucy!"

"Heartfilia?" Warrod stopped him and pointed over to the other side of the wedding hall across the Fairies tarp-covered home court. "Over there with her father, though now probably isn't a good time for you to venture over there, little Dragon."

"Ah, stop joking, old man. I've been looking all over for her..." He wondered off, but the rest of the group all shook their heads as Erza covered her face in her bouquet.

"Natsu...you have no idea who they're talking to."

Wendy wanted to fall over in her own embarrassment. "We may not have to worry...it looks like he'll barely make it over there."

Precht finally smiled for a moment in self-found delight. "Well, maybe I ought to see how the mighty Natsu Dragneel handles this confrontation before making any final decisions. Though, just as his mentor Makarov performed in his own youth, he's sure to embarrass himself like always."

Natsu stumbled through a set of loose chairs scattered across the busy court. He tore his way through several other FBA figures and pop culture icons, and yelled as delightedly as he could.

"Lucy! Man, I've been looking all over for ya!"

"Natsu!?"

They all grew quiet as Natsu opened his eyes. Lucy was sitting at a table of six people, made up of quite the random arrangement of prestigious people.

"Ah, Natsu Dragneel!" President Toma E. Fiore let out an exuberant yell as he welcomed the star player over. "Good to see you! Come, join us!"

"Natsu Dragneel." Said one of the voices sitting next to Lucy at the circle table. "The only man in the country who might be more famous than I am. Long time, no see, man!"

Natsu never heard President Fiore's remarks as his eyes froze violently on the orange-haired handsome man sitting in between Lucy and her father at the table. His eyes were covered by expensive glasses, and his leg was drawn over his other as he put down a glass of wine.

"What you don't recognize me?" He wore a suit that could have made Natsu's FBA bank account blush. "We met last year at the finals!"

"Loke..." Lucy fell deeper into her seat as her ex-boyfriend smiled like a delighted winner to her right. "Please stop..."

Natsu scanned the table, and found a brightly smiling Hisui Fiore to his own left, next to her presidential father who were both tightly guarded by Fiore secret service. Near Mr. Toma was one of the stars of Fiore's top TV news network, Karen Lilica, followed by a stern Jude Heartfilia, and finally Loke and Lucy finishing off the table.

Hisui covered her face. "Oh yikes, I think we need a new chair if you want to join us, Natsu!"

Loke waved his hands, and stood quickly. "Nah, he can have mine! I'll move over by Mr President, if his men will allow it?"

"Haha, oh I'll allow it!" Toma was trying to be friendly to everyone around him as the noble politician he was, especially for the number one news anchor in the nation. "This wedding is starting to get quite crowded, almost like my last Press Corespondents Banquet at Mercurius last winter, right, Loke?"

"That was a wild one, sir." Loke took his seat between Toma and Karen. He leaned back casually and shrugged. "The after party was a little more my style that night."

Natsu tried with every fiber in his lips to stay silent while he calmly walked around Lucy to his new chair. When he sat, she rapidly reached over to grab his hand in a tight grip.

Jude was the one who drew the chair out for Natsu, though. The owner of Heartfilia Airways and the principal owner of the Magnolia Fairies took two fingers, and pressed them to the base of his tall champagne glass as he slid it over to the new guest, and crossed his arms again right afterwards, keeping his eyes shut. "Natsu, I'm surprised to see you finally made it over. My stomach isn't well, I'll let you have my drink."

Lucy's mouth was nearly on the floor, and Natsu's eyebrow was raised as he smirked with glee and took the small glass of champagne from the Heartfilia tycoon, and stared fiercely at the suave Loke across the table. "Heehee, sure thing, Papa Jude!"

"Wow, same taste in drinks, and a pet nickname? Not to mention you guys are set to be future neighbors...You guy are real pees in a pod!" Loke chuckled to himself as he made a kind jape across the table back. "That's more affection than I ever got from your dad, ay Lucy!"

The presidential Fiore duo laughed awkwardly, while Karen covered her overly pleasant face. Jude kept his eyes shut like a golden statue, Natsu looked over to Lucy, and the blonde daughter could only pray that lightning would pass through the roof and strike her down in a spontaneous combustion to save her from this miserable set up.

The posh Karen stirred her drink. "Anyway, back to our talk. Lucy, you'll be interning with us this summer!"

"Ahehehe..." Lucy started rubbing her arm as she felt smaller in her own chair. "I will be, yea. Set to start Monday! I'm more of a writer than a broadcast person, though. I hope I can do well."

"Nonsense, you'll be perfect for the camera." Loke gave her a sincere smile, but his eyes were still locked on Natsu since the wobbly Salamander had not stopped staring at him with a confident smirk back. "Knowing the kind of effort you put behind your work, Lucy, you're good at _everything_ you do."

Loke was still looking at Natsu while he answered Lucy, and a smug eyebrow raised from one of his eyes while he gave the pink-haired point guard his time.

"Yea she is." Natsu snapped back as he tried to understand Loke's subtle double-entendre. "But she doesn't need reminded how awesome she is, buddy."

Jude choked up a small laugh without getting rid of his stern frown, and the table grew rather quiet from there as a song change signaled a new arrangement of events.

"Ahaha, well that's our favorite song! Natsu! Come on, let's go have a dance together! Preferably somewhere very far away from here..."

"Huh?" Natsu coughed up a drink of champagne he nearly choked on after her statement. "Lucy I hate dancing, and that jerk Gajeel is the one singin'. What the hell are ya…?"

"NOW!" Lucy ripped Natsu out of the chair and led the now very wobbly Dragneel away from the awkward table and into the new crowd. The remaining guests sat quiet while Loke clapped several times in a small moment to the rest.

"What a star. That's quite the player you have there, Jude. Let's hope he makes the Olympic team to show the world what Fiore Basketball is capable of doing."

"Here here!" President Toma took it from there and raised a glass as he tapped it with his fork. Loke, Hisui, and Karen all joined him in agreement, while Jude gave them all a firm nod.

He then realized that he had more money then the rest of the table combined, and remembered that as long as his daughter was gone, he had no business even giving this table of famous names his precious time. "Apologies, I need to remove myself for a business call. Excuse me."

Lucy was now arm and arm with Natsu in the middle of the tables and people as she tried to get the two of them as far away from the other table as possible. "Natsu I am honestly so glad you found me, but you came over at the absolutely wrong time. What took you so long?"

"Yea yea..." Natsu shook his head as he lazily followed Lucy along the floor. "Sorry yer so embarrassed with me all the time. I've been tryin' ta work on that..."

"What? No!" Lucy gave him a sincere laugh as she turned quickly to grab both of his arms with her hands. "I walked down a wedding aisle with you as Best Man and the Maid of Honor! Why would I ever be embarrassed to be with you, Natsu?"

"Er, really?" Natsu felt his head slowly start to spin as he shrugged. "Cause I can be stupid some times?"

"Well, it's better than the last time we talked about this!" She rearranged herself to stand by his side as her arm stayed locked with his. "We've gotten you from saying your _completely_ stupid, to just stupid _sometimes_. That's not entirely wrong, so maybe I can work with this…?"

"Eh, shut up, Lucy." He forced himself to smile in a silent laugh, and felt his head losing its own weight. "Let's find a seat for a minute, I just need ta..."

"Right right, already on that...hey look it's Levy and Mira!"

Lucy forced Natsu into an open seat, and took one next to him as Levy McGarden laughed at their arrival with an equally as giddy Mira, and a displeased Laxus sitting next to her.

"Hey Lu!" Levy lit up and sat forward in her chair. "I'm hope you two are having a good time. I'd say 'Hi' to Natsu, but he seems kind of lost at the moment..."

"Yea..." Lucy leaned over and stole Laxus's glass of water to give to Natsu. The angry Dreyar's mouth opened silently, until Mira delicately slid her own full glass in front of his hands and giggled with glee to keep him quiet.

Lucy carried on. "Natsu's been having fun with almost every guest. But now he's out of breath. We just wanted to sit down before our big speeches."

"Hah, oh yea?" Laxus regained his amusement. "Ya think the flaming Salamander can make a Best Man speech if he's breathing fire all over the microphone?"

"Oh my, he might be right." Mira covered her mouth in a joyful laugh as she followed up. "Natsu, are you okay, dear?"

"Y-Yea, I'm all fine." Natsu swayed for a minute and took a large sip of water from his new glass. "I was just freaking out about tryin' ta find Lucy, but I found her!"

"See?" Lucy awkwardly agreed. "Found me-problem solved! Let's just relax now, Natsu."

"Mira!" Lisanna yelled from the dance floor as she ran over to their table with Bickslow. "You guys have to join us out here! There are only a few more sings before the meal!"

"Totally." The back-up power forward, Bickslow followed up with arms crossed and a large grin delivered at Laxus. "Ol' Gajeel said two left. Hes not playin' half bad tonight, even if he getting a little too into it."

Laxus ignored his best friend. "Tsk, like I'd ever go out and dance to one of Gajeel's songs."

"Oh be nice." Levy's hands were settled over her trim stomach, but she admittedly wanted to move them to her ears as her beloved boyfriend and star power forward for Magnolia took the speakers with his singing. "O-Or at least wait until I leave to bad mouth him."

"Nah, we'll get up first." Laxus stood and took Mira's hand as he followed Lisanna and Bickslow. She clapped with glee and followed them all to the dance floor, while Levy leaned forward to continue talking with Lucy.

"Please don't leave." Levy comically pleaded to her blond best friend. "My stomach is too upset to dance, and I can't drink with anyone to start a conversation! Mira and Laxus have been the only ones going sober with me so far."

"Don't worry, I think we'll be waiting right here." Lucy rubbed Natsu's back as if he were having a motion sickness attack and sighed. "How are you, by the way, with your...situation?"

"Fine, but right now's just a little rough." Levy admitted. "I didn't want to say anything to Gajeel...but I barely fit in the bridesmaid dress earlier."

"No kidding." Lucy reasonably admitted that as she noticed Levy had completely swapped clothes to a more modest orange blouse and pair of white dress paints. "How far along are you?"

"I don't know, maybe a few months? I haven't been to see a doctor yet, we've just talked over the phone...it's totally irresponsible, I know!" Levy leaned back and held her glass of water with a sigh. "He's going to start noticing soon, but I'm too scared to say anything to Gajeel!"

"Oh relax, Gajeel is so sweet...er, kinda." Lucy shook her head rapidly after saying that phrase. "Look, just show him how excited you are about starting a family, and he'll probably just follow along! Y-you are excited, aren't you?"

"Yes, absolutely yes!" Levy's face filled with flush. "He even brought up a possibility of us getting married, earlier today. I couldn't believe it when I heard it."

"I-I see what you mean…" Lucy wholeheartedly agreed, and tried sitting Natsu up to let him hear that last part. "But could you maybe just repeat that last bit? A-and make it sound more like Gajeel is trying to win a race or something?"

"**Shoobeedoobah!" **Gajeel yelled out to the large crowd from the stage.** "Let's take a quick break for dinner, Magnolia. Don't worry. Eat your food quick and be ready to hit the dance floor afterwards. The _real_ Iron Soul Train is coming out next set!"**

"HA!" Natsu briefly woke up. "He's such a loser! Come on, Lucy, let's find Je-Erza and get t'our table."

"Right behind you, Natsu." Her eyes were shut as she regretfully pushed her own chair in. "Let me just get ready to read both speeches by myself..."

* * *

The music had slowed across the speakers, the food was being served, and all the guests had settled into their original assigned seats for the small portion of the fabulous blue and red wedding reception.

The man and woman of the hour sat back at the long main table with two smug expressions. Erza raised a fork of food to her mouth, but made sure to share a few extra words with her new husband. "Well I don't know about you, Jellal, but this might be the wedding of the century."

"I'm not sure I can argue with you on that, Erza." He laughed to himself and enjoyed the meal before him. "This is quite the celebrity guest list. You surely captured quite the audience."

"Well, I always bring a good effort." She ginned peacefully, and turned to her Maid of Honor. "By the way, Lucy, you don't have to make any big speeches if you're feeling nervous."

"Oh no, I'm fine!" Lucy had let a partial dinner and several pleasant conversations with the others calm her nerves, and reassured Erza as she woke Natsu up to a slightly sober state.

The hot-headed Salamander even made his own reply. "Yea, we're not backin' down, Erza. Lucy and I got this."

"Really?" Gray was now wearing a sleeveless wife-beater top as he leaned over in amusement. "Even if Lucy probably has hers written out, and you probably don't even have two words strung together?"

"Hahaha!" Juvia rubbed his bare arm with her hands as she laughed in support one chair over. "What my beloved means, is that's very sweet of you to just use words from the heart, Natsu. You shouldn't need a written speech like your bimbo girlfriend."

"I didn't write anything...ugh, nevermind..." Lucy swiftly stood from her own seat, and grabbed her glassware and fork to loudly alert the rest of the large sea of tables and people.

"Hello? Excuse me? Can I have everyone's attention, please?" She took a few deep breaths before letting her eyes settle on the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming out today to celebrate will all of us. Erza and Jellal are the two luckiest people I know. They've each had such successful lives, and even made out with such a beautiful day to host their wedding!"

The crowd lightly laughed as she carried on. "They're also too perfect for each other. Even when they met, my father noticed the two of them were inseparable. I actually remember when Natsu and I started dating, Erza and Jellal invited us on a sort-of double date for dinner. I was nervous trying to go out on the town for the first time in a while...but Erza and Jellal both acted so confident, and so kind to each of us that night."

"Yea!" Natsu yelled out unexpectedly. "Until Erza chickened out of a one-on-one scrimmage with me!"

Gray smacked him in the chest for Lucy, and let her carry on.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, even though they're both so young, Jellal and Erza might be the wisest people of their age-group. Jellal is quite the leader on the court, and Erza is now a champion coach in her rookie coaching career!"

The crowd clapped widely, and Erza let out a faint blush to even rival her hair.

Lucy smiled too. "She's also a really close friend. She was so funny last month when we all went shopping for her wedding dress. She made sure that everyone was having the perfect time, and also made sure we each left satisfied with our new outfits. She's thoughtful and selfless, and insanely pretty...Erza, I can't lie, I really look up to you like an older sister."

The crowd's reaction was quite adorable, but was nowhere near close to the two tears that rolled down Erza's face. She looked at Lucy from her seat at the main table, and took Jellal's hands to deliver a series of rapid nods and smiles.

Lucy briefly let a tear form under her eye also, and then corrected herself for a wide smile and raised her hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, _Mr. and Mrs. Fernandes!_"

All in the South Gate Arena rang with applause. Lucy gave them each a wave, and made sure to direct the cheers back to the Bride and Groom. After the speech, she wrapped Erza up in a very tight hug, then received a second from Jellal.

Lucy took her seat, and whispered softly to the other side of her chair.

"Oh-kay...you're up."

"Hah!" Natsu shot up from his seat, and howled with laughter as a majority of the crowd let out a roaring cheer without a second thought. Natsu had currently transcended any other player in the FBA up to that point, and was really starting to turn into a fresh-faced celebrity across the old kingdom of Fiore. If he simply smiled in front of a crowd, they reacted quite pleasantly in their response.

He gave them all a wave, then shushed them by lowering his hands up and down. He started by leaning over the table to collect himself, then stood tall again, kissed Lucy on the top of her head, and clapped one time.

"Isn't she the best!? My girl, Lucy!"

The crowd was mindlessly roaring again as the timid blonde tried covering her face from the others. Natsu chuckled, and took a long breath before turning to Jellal and Erza.

"Ahhhhhh...Erza and Jellal...Jellal and Erza...Jerza! You guys rock! Seriously, a star shooting guard and head coach combo! You're like the first player/coach married couple the league has every seen, unless you count Rogue and Minerva here in a few months!"

The crowd lost it with laughter as a rather widely-known piece of gossip scored as Natsu's first joke. Forward Rogue Chenney and Coach Minerva Orland sat at a middle table with the others from Saber City. And while Sting, Olga, and Rufus let out laughs, Yukino sighed while the two butts of the joke looked more angry with the Salamander every second that passed.

The laughter cleared, and Natsu commanded them all to be quiet again. "Man, Minerva just has ta follow your footsteps every time, doesn't she, Erza? But hey! First female coach to win the title. You kick so much ass that you even play with us on the court during practices!"

Erza had no choice but to let her smile be shown again as she nodded at Natsu. Jellal smiled too, but rolled his eyes as the rest of the audience ate it up.

"Erza...er, Coach Erza, I'll stay put in Magnolia, as long as you're the one drivin' the car. Like Lucy said, you really are an older sister to me and the entire team."

The clapping never stopped, but Natsu had to move on. "And Jellal! The _Meteor-Man!_ Damn a league All-Star before coming to Magnolia! We won a championship together my first year! You're like a real-life hero to me, man. I watched you when I was in high school and college!"

Jellal waved a hand to show his modesty, but the others enjoyed it, and even Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled softly as she leaned forward to relax for the rest of the show.

"_Natsu Dragneel...star Point Guard and hit Master of Ceremony."_ Lucy beamed with true love in her eyes as she looked up at her boyfriend. _"I'm glad I never worried t__o__o much about him after all."_

Once again, though, she unfortunately spoke to herself far too soon.

"Well you were my hero, until ya kept that freakin' secret from me, man!"

Natsu had blurted out that last alerting line. All others in the audience followed along with the joke in a laughing manor, but Lucy, Erza and Jellal all sat up. Gray and the rest of the wedding party slowly took notice as well.

"Natsu...ehehe, what are ya talking about?" Lucy wanted to sound more casual than usual as she nudged his leg.

He ignored her and picked up a drink. "Can you believe it, folks? My own teammate keeping a big secret from me! I mean when I finally heard about Coach Hades's roster plan, myself, I laughed out-loud!"

"What?" Jellal was mid-sip into his drink, but coughed as he put his drink down. His stomach turned upside down along with his smile as he sat up in his chair. "I-I never told you anything..."

"Oh be quiet, Jellal! You found out Coach Hades is only taking one Fairy player from Magnolia to the Olympics, and you never even wanted me to know when ya first found out!"

The room had suddenly turned so silent that a single, fine-point needle could have fallen an inch off the ground, and it would have still rang out like a bell. It was hard to judge who had the most entertaining facial expression that evening. Coach Precht Gaebolg with his usually frozen look of disapproval surely was a sight to see, or perhaps it was Warrod Sequen, who sat next to him with a wide grin that appeared more entertaining for the tabloid photographers.

Laxus and Mira Dreyar both held widely conflicting reactions. Former Coach Makarov Dreyar spit his entire drink out on the table, while current Coach Minerva Orland finally found pleasure in Natsu's speech as she covered her giggling face in a selfish bit of laughter.

Chapati Lola and Jason, the reporters from the top-profile Fiore news outlets were rapidly writing down new notes. But the much younger, and far more handsome host of the _Fiore News Network_, Leo Regulus (or Loke as he was previously known to some) had no need for pen and paper now that everything was captured brilliantly inside his own head.

But of course, this was the special night for Jellal and Erza. Both of the bride's hands were firmly balled into steel fists now, and after slamming them on her own dinner table to break her plate, her face was now the color of her hair as Coach Scarlet scowled onward.

"I have half a mind to ask for a divorce right now, and request a trade for both of you over seas, you bumbling idiots." She never turned to look at Jellal, but suddenly blamed him for this leak of juicy information along with Natsu.

"No-no!" Jellal was frantically waving his hands. "I-I never shared that information with him! Only with the ownership!"

"Ownership?!" Erza slowly took multiple breathes in through her nose and out through her mouth as she tried to control the color of her face. "You told management...you told the _Heartfilia__s?_"

"Aaaand now I'll take that spontaneous death...any second now...please?" Lucy Heartfilia mumbled through a mound of food as her emotionless face was firmly planted into her own dinnerplate flat on the table, while Natsu was laughing hysterically over the entire group.

"I know crazy, right!? If he's only taking one guy then why the hell did the rest of ya follow me out to Tenrou for tryouts!? OLYMPIC GAMES HERE I…!"

Natsu's alcohol had finally hit his blood too hard, and even the star professional athlete failed to win his current battle as he fell backwards and passed out from the liquor. Lucy jumped up in a panic, but then saw he was only asleep as her face fell back into her plate of food.

"Come on, let's go." Wendy Marvel and Romeo were sitting at the farthest table to the back, and the little sophomore-turning-junior in high school calmly decided to get out while she could. "I'm not in the mood to talk about him on camera right now."

"Ya think he's okay?!" Romeo let her drag him off as he pulled out his cell phone. "Maybe we need to call a doctor!"

"No, but I would get your dad on the phone right away." Wendy sighed as the other guests started to rise from their seats. "He'll definitely need to hear about this...and he'll probably want a new star client afterwards as well."

* * *

**Before you ask, no! Natsu is not an ****alcoholic. A little more complicated than that...**

**Poor Lucy though can't catch a break! Sometimes I wonder if I abuse her too much (even though she's my all-time favorite FT character) but then I re-watch a few episodes from the anime, or read the manga, and remember "Oh yea, that's just how Lucy is treated in the real FT too!"**

**So Natsu spills the beans again, let's see how the public reacts to that. More on Lucy's internship and Levy's baby bump next chapter too. **

**Until then!**


	11. 11 - The Next Step

**Author's Note: The Fairies have a week off before they have to return to Tenrou Island for the final week of the National Team tryouts. Let's see how they're all sending their Monday mornings.**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven - The Next Step

* * *

"Natsu Dragneel, you are the only player I know that can screw up so many times in public and still be more popular by the day! I just checked my phone, and fans are posting like crazy about you!"

Macao Conbolt was adding to his groups' conversation as he hammered a golf ball down a lush green fairway at the West Gate Country Club. He just finished his drive along the 8th hole, and turned to deliver a satisfied reaction to his hit. "Man, I think the only place I'm getting any younger is here on the green!"

"I'd have ta agree with ya there, old timer." His brother-in-law and fellow sports agent, Wakaba Mine, chuckled as he handed Macao back his cigar. The other elder sports figure also took a drag from his own pipe as he leaned on the hood of their golf cart. "It's a good thing ya shaved that ugly mustache, but it's a shame those hair plugs costed ya so much this time around. You may need our money more than you realize once this game's finished."

"There's no way either one of you wind bags is taking the pot, today!" Natsu Dragneel stepped up in a pink golf polo and grey slacks as he placed his ball on the tee. "Just wait 'til ya see my next hit! I'm calling it the _Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!_"

"Just hit the damn ball." Laxus Dreyar was hitting after Natsu, and stood with his arms crossed next to the cart. He happened to be partnered with Wakaba through the _Flash and Smoke_ agency, while Natsu worked with Macao.

The four were enjoying a bright day of Monday golfing after Natsu and Laxus semi-enjoyed a wild Saturday with their friends at the Fernandes Wedding the other night. Natsu's unfortunate information break was drastically affecting the social media landscape across the country, but oddly found him on the higher rise to more popularity.

Macao, being his agent, was the first to spot it. "Seriously though, Natsu, anything you do is seen as gold in the eyes of your fans. I don't know if they think your funny, or cool, or what, but we have to start cashing in on your name recognition quick!"

Wakaba shook his head in amusement. "What'ya going to do, partner him up with a duct tape company? 'Watch how our product keeps loud-mouthed athletes from spilling important internal secrets!'"

"Yea yea, lousy jerks..." Natsu stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked away from an impressive drive as Laxus took his place behind the tee. The Salamander carried on. "Hey Macao, tell Romeo thanks for getting Wendy home safe, last night. I dropped the ball on that."

"How thoughtful." Laxus lined up his ball with a target down green as he swung for the air. "Just make sure you head back one hole and tell ol' Jude to thank his daughter for taking _you_ home last night too. Little embarrassing if you're relying on your girlfriend for a ride home every night."

"Well blame their stupid agency!" Natsu pointed at a laughing Macao and Wakaba. "They insist that I shouldn't be driving, so now Lucy takes me every where and gets me all sick...I have to go on medication for it 'cause I'm always in a passenger seat now. Some crap called _Troia_."

"Well we don't need our boy dying downtown in a fireball crash. Let's just keep it this way until the Olympics are over." Macao took a drink from a can of beer. "You really have been over-stressed about this whole Gold Medal thing."

"We don't need to talk about it..." Natsu knew everyone was already finished with their drive, and started walking down the hill.

Wakaba jumped in the driver's seat of the cart and puffed on his smoke piece. "Yea, it's a little embarrassing to announce to the world that Precht is only taking one fairy on his first draft roster, but then to find out that its my man Laxus here and not you? Whew, must have been even worse! Only one more week ta win over Ol' Hades there, man."

Laxus put himself at the back of the cart, and never made a comment. He also found it weird that after a fairly average week of play in the first week of Olympic try-outs, he was the only current person selected from Magnolia to go.

Macao jumped in the passenger's side and waved a hand. "Ah, he never said he's only taking one guy from Magnolia, he just meant he only has one selected so far. Give it the final week, and Natsu will be shooting lights out in Era. Hell, if he wins gold, I'm honestly thinking a shoe deal or something! We'll make billions!"

Their cart followed after the angry Salamander down to the first resting golf ball, but back at the 7th hole, Makarov Dreyar sat in the driver's side of his own cart as he read the newspaper headline for that Monday morning.

"**Fernandes Wedding ****Reveals Olympic Gold: Coach Gaebolg's Roster Notes Have Officially Been Leaked"**

"Ugh..." Makarov rubbed his head, and read over the same article for the third time in a row. He took a sip from a glass of whiskey, and let out a second frustrated breath. "You know, retirement was the best thing that ever happened to my health? You ought to learn a little wisdom from one of your elders."

"Mhm." Jude Heartfilia scanned the seventh green as he looked through expensive sunglasses to make his next hit. He ignored Coach Makarov's remark, and chipped his ball up to the putting green.

"And here I thought that daughter of yours was his only rock. Even that poor girl couldn't help keep him calm when she was sitting right next to him." Makarov put his glass between his legs as he sat in his seat. "The boy really is the greatest talent this sport has ever seen, but he has a temper unmatched by anyone I know."

"I'm not sure about that." Jude took his shot, and watched it sail up the middle of the wide open fairway. "If we had a look at the trophy cases back at my stadium, your father was the best thing this sport ever delivered. They always said Yury was a rambunctious sort, too."

"My father was from a different era." Makarov sighed. "The sport has changed, it's gotten much harder, and more competitive. I will never take anything away from the founding fathers, but Natsu is something else...I've never seen anything like him."

"Hmm." Jude pondered that, and returned to the cart after lighting a cigar. "It must run in the family then. His brother is the biggest star in Alvarez."

"That's not the same thing." Makarov rolled his eyes. "That spoiled rich brat probably spent millions on trainers over the years helping him perfect his game. Natsu was raised in a different environment than Zeref."

"He was." Jude made a look back at that rich brat comment made by Makarov. "It proves that this game is a business, though, first and foremost."

Their cart was stopped in the middle of the green valley. Makarov refused to drive on, and looked out to the left row of far off pin oak trees lining the walkway in the distance.

"I'll tell the same thing to you that I told that stubborn old Precht. Natsu is the future of basketball." Makarov nodded. "The boy is a fighter, through and through. His parents died when he was just a boy, his wealthy brother abandoned he and his younger sister, and he still continued raising her by himself as he got drafted first over all in the league.

"Then, he wins the title, the League MVP, Rookie of the Year title, a second title...eh, you know the rest." Makarov was done, and remained silent as he took a sip from his whiskey and turned to Jude.

Jude's cigar was properly lit, but he pulled it out for a second prime as he tried to cut the silence and tension, but then he took a deep breath. "There's no reasoning with the boy. If you have any disagreement with him, he won't listen. I can't get to him, Lucy can't get to him..."

"Fine, then maybe we should all just sit back and watch him."

Jude raised an eyebrow and looked down at Makarov to his left.

The elder former coach nodded again. "If we can't reason with the boy, and if he keeps producing the same degree of talent every time he gets angry, then maybe we need to let him run wild. It may be the first time Fiore takes home the Gold Medal since my days in the sport. I could argue that to Precht myself...but, of course, this all might sound better coming from the man who drafted him first overall."

Makarov started to chuckle underneath his breath. "You said it yourself, this sport is a business. If Alvarez is so big in this sport now, and they keep winning that gold medal...then what happens to the markets if Fiore takes it home instead?"

Jude Heartfilia blew a cloud of smoke from his mouth, and turned his head out toward the right. "Drive. I don't wish to be out here all day."

"Fine then." Makarov chuckled underneath his mustache as he changed the gear on the cart. "But no one can deny it...you like the boy far better than that Loke fellow. It might just be okay to stand up for him when it matters most. If not for Lucy, then at least for your pocket book's sake!"

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia was wondering through a tightly packed crowd at the largely expansive Fiore News Network offices in downtown Crocus. It was the first day of her new summer internship, but already she was regretting her choice in studies for a future career.

"Hey can you believe Natsu Dragneel may get snubbed for the Olympics?!" One rowdy employee was shouting ove friend walking his way going the other diction. "The kid's only like 20 and he may already be the G.O.A.T., but those old men on the National Team are going to hold him out!"

"_It's times like this I wish I had that scarf I made for Natsu…" _The G.O.A.T.'s current blond girlfriend wanted to desperately cover her face more and more as she wondered through the large news corporation halls trying to find her new office to report to.

She was dating Natsu Dragneel, and her father was Jude Heartfilia. In an entire building that held journalists who performed research on people and current events for a living, it was only a matter of time before someone recognized her...

"Oh God, who let _you_ in here?"

"Brandish?!" Lucy jumped up in fear as she turned to hear the dull voice of her own college roommate from last year. Lucy was moved out of the dorms for the summer, and for the past month had spoken her thanks to the stars above that she had rarely see Brandish Mu ever again after that.

But now. "W-What are you doing here? Is this where you're interning too?"

"I'm broadcast journalism, and I was born into a famous news conglomerate. Of course this is my internship. Stupid blondes."

Lucy rolled her eyes, and forced herself to walk beside this lone familiar face. "But you said your family owns a company over sees? You hate Fiore, so why not go just work for them?"

"That would work, but my father wants me to gather more experience in Fiore with a different company. I suppose it makes sense, even if I don't want to be here."

"Yea, I can understand that..." Lucy put her hands behind her back as she held her arms nervously. "I'm a little shaky today, too. I've spent years just following Magnolia sports from my own stupid highschool blog, but now this is my first shot with a large news team."

"You'll be fine." Brandish kept walking forward. "Your last name is still Heartfilia."

"Eh?" Lucy was not a fan of the way she worded that compliment, but Brandish gave her one nonetheless. "Well gee, thanks, Randy!"

"Ugh." Brandish rolled her eyes. "Only my friends call me that. Also, your suit jacket is too tight around the chest. It looks like you're trying too hard to impress the top brass here."

Lucy self-consciously tugged on the two lapels to her grey sport jacket in her dressy suit/skirt combo. She had liked the pretty powder blue color she chose to wear as an undershirt, but as Brandish just blandly hinted at, the blonde rookie reporter knew where her own strengths lied.

"Ahehe..." Lucy was never proud to admit when she tried to use her feminine wiles to get her way. "Let's just say I know the kind of people who will be writing my evaluations this summer."

Brandish wore a black pant suit and a darker shade of purple for an undershirt. "Wow that long blue-haired girl who makes rude jabs at you really is on to something. You might be a tramp after all."

"WAIT, IT'S NOT LIKE I'M NOT TRYING TO SLEEP WITH ANYONE HERE!" Lucy shouted uncontrollably as she clutched her hand bag with one hand, and held the other as a fist while the two were stopped at a door. The port opened up, and both girls turned to greet a very famous green-haired reporter coming out from the other side.

"Ah, girls!" Karen Lilica flipped her hair with one hand, and gave the two interns a smile as she emerged with a gorgeous burgundy sport coat and skirt. "Welcome to your first day here! I'm glad you both arrived together."

"I'm not." Brandish admitted mutely as Lucy rolled her eyes. The Heartfilia daughter then shook her head and gave Karen a smile.

"It's nice to see you again, Karen. I hope you're doing well."

"Oh, Honey." Karen led the two girls down the hallway as she turned to let her eyes follow a pack of male workers walking the other way. "I'm _always_ doing well working here. You two young college girls will probably learn to enjoy yourselves here, too."

Lucy gripped her bag tighter now with both hands, and followed the two proud women through the corridors of the large offices until they finally made it outside a doorway crowned with a flashing sign.

**STUDIO 1A**

"I'll cut to the chase." Karen had stopped. "Each intern will be working under one mentor, but you'll also be responsible for covering one event and team in this year's Games on your own. The network figured they'd be nice for your first year here and assign you easy positions. They also noticed both of your last names and gave you two top-profile mentors. Randy, baby, you'll be working as a correspondent covering the nation of Alvarez. Should be a piece of cake for you."

"Glad to here it." Brandish replied. "This may not be as lame as I thought."

"What, you don't get mad when _she _called you 'Randy'?" Lucy japed, but then received her own folder from Karen as well.

"And the daughter of Mr. Jude Heartfilia will be covering Fiore. What a cushy first-time internship for you!"

"Wow, I really lucked out!" Lucy took the folder and thumbed through it thoroughly on the spot. "Basketball, swimming, these are all really amazing sports...wow, Elfman Strauss is competing in field events? I know him!"

"No one cares." Brandish softly pushed Lucy out of the way and followed Karen through a second set of doors. "Excuse me, but when are we assigned out supervisors?"

Karen giggled, and stopped as her back rested against the door. "Well, we like to consider them more like _mentors_...you'll be working with me, sweetie! Congrats!"

She leaned out and gave Brandish a soft, professional hug. Meanwhile Lucy was left to silently keeping herself from throwing up her breakfast from that morning. "Do I have a mentor picked out yet, too?"

"Ohhh _yes!_" Karen leaned forward and clasped one of Lucy's hands with her own. "You had a _special_ request, but it may not be very secret if you know your way around our network..."

Karen leaned back and pushed the door open with her behind, while Lucy took a deep gulp of air quickly down her throat. She looked forward to see a dimly lit control room with workers running all over the place holding papers, equipment, and sometimes food and drinks meant for the higher up stars and employees.

The king of it all, though, sat in the main seat behind a well-fashioned desk at the center of a high-budget set design. Loke had just unclipped his microphone from his lapel, and traded the device with a cup of coffee out of the hands of one of the assistants. He stood up and took a folder from another as he briskly walked toward the door they were standing at. His sharp grey suit looked like money well spent, and his light blue shirt and paisley blue tie made Lucy regret her own particular color choices for that day.

"Leo, love. The interns are here!" Karen presented the two girls to the great young news anchor, but Loke kept reading his new notes and walked through the doors on the way out.

"Great. Come on."

Lucy double-took a glance as she looked at Karen and Brandish. She then speedily walked back up the hallway to try and catch up with Loke, but he had already been swarmed by a new set of workers.

"Leo, my old friend, try to ease up on the Dragneel boy next time. He's a big star for our ratings."

"Sure thing, Boss man. I'll do my best." Loke never looked up, while Lucy failed to take her eyes off the face of Loke's supposed boss walking by her left, who also had a mustache that ran several inches out both nostrils.

She was already regretting her application to this news firm, and thought about ending it here. "U-Um, hey Loke...can we slow down for just a little so I can ask you…?"

"Hey Leo!" Another man, much younger with a large head of curly brown hair and great big ears to match yelled out from the other side of the hall, now with his hand raised. "We still on for the clubs, tonight?"

"Obviously, Pisces." Loke grinned after finally looking up from his papers for a small bit, and high-fived his co-worker. "Just make sure to invite your mom along for me. I'm tryin' not ta text her so much."

"Hah! Ass!" The man named Pisces laughed loudly as he left in the other direction, leaving Lucy to scowl forward as she glared at the back of her ex-boyfriend's head.

"_Great...he hasn't even changed after a second shot at life and a fancy new career..."_

"Sir Leo, are you okay with looking over the rest of my draft notes with me this hour? _I asked curiously_." His editor spoke up by his side.

Loke shook his head, but gave the elder a calm smile to his right. "Sorry, Horologium. Gotta take the new intern out for lunch."

The man sighed and nodded as he turned around and passed Lucy. "Oh, it's quite alright. _He says with u__nderstanding__ acceptance._"

"_Lunch? The ass couldn't even turn around and tell me in person!?"_

Lucy was starting to get annoyed that she had to keep all these thoughts in her head. Sadly, though she kept her head low in anger, and reluctantly followed Loke around the corner to a wide office equipped with a beautiful morning skyline view of the vibrant city of Crocus.

"Ahhhh." Loke took a deep breath at his desk, then turned around and sat down on top of it. "I am soooo sorry about all that nonsense, Lucy. Things are really crazy, today. Apologies if I came off a super rude out there, I just needed to get us out of that hallway for a bit!"

"Uhh…?" Lucy's head was now tilted as her emotions swapped quickly in the blink of an eye. "I-I'm sorry?"

"Oh right, close the door!" Loke ran around to sit at his seat behind his desk. Lucy shut the door, and the news anchor leaned back with his hands over the desk top. "You want a water or something? I have a few bottles here in my fridge."

She rapidly shook her head, but Loke shrugged and laughed either way as he continued. "I'm pretty excited to see you applied to work here this summer, Lucy. I'm just hoping it's not too much of a crazy work load for you. I'll try ta help you out ever step of the way."

"..." Lucy's eyebrow was still wide up in the air, and her mouth slowly opened once more. "Y-You're acting really different now. Earlier you wouldn't even look at me, a-and you were even scheduling lunch dates with me in the hallway, and now you're..."

"Lucy." Loke stopped her and thumbed through his papers. "The company makes us take our new interns out to lunch. They comp it, it's just a generosity thing. Unless you don't want it! I can tell 'em to scratch it...er, don't take it as a date or anything. This is a work-place. I want to help you, but we're strictly just a mentor and intern, here."

"Yeaaa..." Lucy tried to calmly reaffirm him. "Don't worry, I wasn't...wow, you really have changed."

He stopped working for a bit, and looked her in the eyes. "It's been a while, shocking, I know. I'm a new guy, Lucy. I want to enjoy this summer, and I want you to enjoy your experience here comfortably."

His glasses came off, and he leaned back in his seat with exhausted eyes. "Man, I could go all day skipping on work crap and just swapping stories with you about that crazy wedding the other night. Talk about a show!"

Lucy smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yea, it was quite a mess. I'm sure we'll have to write up a story about it or something, today. I refuse to say anything negative about Natsu, though."

Loke nodded firmly. "I don't expect you to, the guy is too awesome! He's averaged 20 points a game for two straight seasons! The FBA's never seen a player like him. I've made bank just betting on him each game."

"You have?" Lucy sounded very suspicious to hear that. "You're not even a sports reporter, and you rag on him all the time in basic news segments!"

Loke shrugged, and took a sip from a glass bottle of water he had in a fridge underneath his desk. "Well, do ya blame me? Your new man takes criticism like logs take a flame for fuel! The more the media bad mouths him, the better he performs! The only difference between me and other critics is I used to play the game, remember? I know talent when I see it…"

His thumb pointed over at a framed Magnolia Dragon's University jersey hanging on the edge of his luxurious office. Lucy let out an uncontrolled laugh, and remembered that even though Loke was set to be the number one draft pick in his perspective rookie season, he never actually made it into the league.

"I'm surprised you still have that. I thought you would of burned it, or something after my dad's big campaign."

"Ah Jude..." Loke sighed and took another sip of water. "He still hates my damn guts, but no I still miss the court, sometimes. I play pickup with a few of the guys here in the office, but I don't bring up anything about college or the draft to try and keep my job secure."

"Thank goodness for you." Lucy leaned back in her chair. "Look, we haven't really sat down and..._talked_...in a really long time. I'm going to try and stay strong with all of this as well as I can, but I _will_ be acting weird the first few days."

"Lucy." Loke stood up, and started to walk around the desk. "If you're uncomfortable with this whole set up, I understand. I'll arrange a different mentorship for you."

"No no!" Lucy wanted to be tough and firm against a person who once wronged her heart, but she also wanted to remain respectful, and most of all _forgiving_. "I didn't mean to...look...let's just go out for lunch with Karen and Brandish. You can tell me more about my first assignment on the way."

Loke showed a sincere smile, and took his glasses from the desk. "Sounds fine to me. Karen always lets me pick, but I'll be happy to give you the choice instead. Where will it be, _lovely?_"

He then looked her outfit over and laughed loudly. "Nice clothes, too. We look like twins or something!"

"How sweet, I get to choose...and yea don't remind me." Lucy rolled her eyes in an annoyed tone and walked out the door held open by Loke. "Somewhere local is fine. Just don't tell Brandish I picked it if she looks really PO'd for some reason…"

* * *

"This is just our luck." Gajeel was stuck in traffic driving his girlfriend, and General Manager of the Magnolia Fairies, Levy McGarden around downtown Magnolia as they shared the Monday morning road with one another. "You get sick, and now we're here stuck in traffic!"

Levy held on to her stomach slightly as she shifted in the passenger seat of their black SUV. "Sorry you had to turn down the invitation from Natsu, Babe. I feel really bad about that..."

"Yea, yea. It's really no biggy, Short Stuff." Gajeel leaned an elbow out his window and sighed. "Even though I was really lookin' forward ta smashing Salamander all along that course, today. I bought new clubs and everything..."

"For golf, or for smashing Natsu with?" Levy tried to laugh, but awkwardly stopped. "Eh, forget that I asked...Gajeel, can I actually come clean with you about something?"

"COME ON! HURRY IT UP, ALREADY!" Gajeel blared the horn of his large automobile through the line of traffic as he screamed out his window. "Don't these idiots know who we are?! We got important places to be!"

"Ey, shut up, Gajeel!" Yelled out a random pedestrian in a car one lane to his right. "Being in the FBA doesn't mean you get to ignore rules of the road like ya do on the court!"

"Bite me, Warren!" Gajeel recognized the man's voice as one of the Fairy fans who heckles him on the lower bowl of the stadium. "I'll tell Jude ta take your season tickets away if you make fun of my hair even one time this coming season!"

"Gajeel, roll up the window." Levy felt another bout of pain coming from her abdomine. "I don't want either of us to get fined or fired, today. We could use all the money we can get, right now."

"Huh?" Gajeel readjusted his rear view mirror. "I just finished signin' a 200 billion Jewel contract, and you're the most successful GM in league history. We have money coming out the ass, right now. If I wanna yell at some hecklers who can't keep their heads in their cars, then so what."

"Just...agh..." Levy pressed a foot forward on the lower upholstery. "Just take a right at seventh street. You can cut over to the hospital in West Gate."

"Yea, that's not a bad idea with this lousy jam...plus that's where all the rich doctors work, and that lousy golf course is on the way. Hey maybe I can get you to the hospital, drop you off, and pick ya up after wiping the floor with those losers at the country club!"

"Gajeel!" Levy wanted to laugh at him, but a scream left her voice instead. "You're not dropping me off for a normal check up...it's totally different, actually...let's just get there and I'll explain."

_~Several turns and angry bouts of horn honking later~_

After finally arriving to the Mount Magnolia Health Institute over in West Gate Park, Magnolia, Gajeel escorted the much shorter Levy through the main hospital doors as they made it to the counter.

"Hey, we got a serious sick person here, and one with a pretty important title ta boot. Why don't you doctor people make sure we get a nice room real..."

"Ah, Mrs. McGarden, so good of you to arrive on time."

The couple turned to see a tall elderly woman walking toward them through electronic doors behind the second counter. She wore a white lab coat over a purple turtle-neck sweater, and made her way around the counter to confront the two in person.

"I hope you're doing well since the last time we spoke on the phone, dear. Everything seems to look okay by the looks of you." The woman's most noticeable trait had to be her long, pointy nose. It almost made her look like a witch with sandy blonde hair tied up into a large ponytail that fanned out into a series of spiky tufts of hair.

She then turned to look at Gajeel. "This must be the boyfriend. Hello, My name is Dr. Belno. I've been Levy's consulting obstetrician for the past few months."

"A wha-?" Gajeel looked like his head was starting to break on the inside. "For what, does she have something obstructing her throat, or something?"

"Gajeel..." Levy comically sighed and took one of his hands to hold. "I'm not actually sick. I have been getting a few stomach aches for a while, yes, but...Dr. Belno is my _pregnancy_ doctor."

"Your...what...huh?" Gajeel's eye started to twitch uncontrollably, and his cheeks were beginning to turn the same color as his deep red eyes while he tried to hear her out.

"Hehe..." Levy took both of his hands now, even if her palms were starting to turn sweatier with every second of the conversation that passed. "We're expecting...surprise! You're going to be a dad."

Dr. Belno smiled for both of them, and took one hand from each of them. "Yes, and I must say, to give birth to twins is very special. You both must be so proud."

"Agh...!?" Gajeel's brain had officially shut of, and he slowly leaned backwards as a gust of wind blew in from the main doors behind them. "On second thought, I may need to go play around of golf with Salamander, after all. Especially if they have an endless tab already opened up...!"

* * *

Natsu was having a beer with his golf mates for the midday at the country club house in the West Gate neighborhood of Magnolia. He sat at a table with Laxus, Macao, and Wakaba, while the legendary Coach Makarov Dreyar and wealthy Jude Heartfilia sat up at the club's bar. A plate of ground pork nachos sat at the center of the table half eaten, and bits of tomato, pineapple, lime, and peppers were scattered around half the dish as the men finished their drinks and continued their discussion.

"Hold on, what if we call them _Air Salamanders?_ You're always flyin' through the air, right?" Macao had his hands raised at Wakaba, but was trying to address Natsu to answer the question.

Wakaba jumped first as he held a cigarette in front of his face. "Nah, that name would never sell. Maybe like '_Salamander Soles_'. They do protect yer feet, right?"

Natsu slapped his hands against the table. "Oh wait! How about _Wings_, ya know, cause dragons have wings!?"

Laxus rolled his eyes as he looked at his finished beer. "Just call them _Salamanders._ You people are over thinking this."

"Salamanders..." Macao scratched his chin and looked up at the clubhouse's patio ceiling. "Yea, yea! We could make them in different styles like a scale pattern and stuff. What brand do you wear, Hearts-Kreuz? They can lead the sponsorship!"

"Hell yea!" Natsu raised his glass and clinked his drink with the two sports agents. "These things'll sell like hotcakes. Oh man, maybe I need ta start paying you for marketing advice, Macao?"

"That's why he's your agent, dumb ass." Laxus shook his head very slowly as he tried to remember why he came out to play golf with his least favorite teammate, today. "And I'm the one who came up with the name. I deserve a share of the cut if these go big."

Wakaba waved his hand over to Laxus. "Nah, this namebrand thing is gonna be so big, every player in the league is gonna start doing it. _Salamanders, E__ucliffe__s, Dreyars_. Picture it now, a big ol' lightning streak up the side of the sneaker. Whoohoo! We're talking big jewels on this idea."

"Shh! Shut up!" Natsu hollered across the table. "Keep your voice down. We can't let everyone else hear our brilliant idea! I'mma go clear it with Papa Jude, first. See what a real business guy thinks."

Natsu got up from his table seat and joined the other two men over at the bar. "Hey guys, get a load of this...!"

"We know, you have an idea for selling basketball shoes." Makarov chugged a glass of whiskey and spun around on his bar stool. "You fools are yelling so loud the roof is starting to collapse."

"Ah man." Natsu's shoulders sunk down. "Well that's no fun. Maybe I should call Lucy and see what she thinks?"

"You'll do absolutely no such thing." A still sober Jude held his glass of whiskey up to his mustached face as he never turned around to address Natsu. "My little girl is off on her first day of a very important college internship. She can't be bothered by any of your nonsense."

"Psh, that's total crap!" Natsu pulled up a seat by Jude. "We're talking big shoe-money here, Jude. Plus it's Lucy! She doesn't think_ anything_ about me is nonsense."

Makarov howled as he slid his tiny feet off his tall bar stool and wobbled over to the left side of the bar. "You two keep talkin'. I gotta take a leak!"

Jude and Natsu both remained silent up by the bar, and Natsu studied Jude taking his long sips of alcohol between breaths. "Hey how are you doin', man? I haven't really sat down and talked with ya in a while."

"I'm fine, Natsu. Thank you." Jude was still a gentleman, and knew how to talk to almost everyone. "Your concern is always appreciated."

"Eehh, I think you're lyin', pal." Natsu snapped at the bar tender to get him a new drink. "I know you pretty well by now, Jude. Always tryin' ta keep conversations small, and carry on with your day. You do it to Lucy whenever she tries talkin' about her school stuff."

Jude never answered, and blatantly looked down at his cup of ice to ignore answering the pesky boy. Natsu carried on.

"Ah, you're still not happy that she chose journalism over business, are ya?"

Jude cleared his throat. "Well, you were just about to call her for business advice, correct? I wonder why that idea would come back to haunt my mind."

"Oh come on!" Natsu put a hand on Jude's back. "She's happy where she is, man! The girl is writing big headlines for college newspapers, working for top magazines in Crocus. Heck, she just landed that big gig with _FNN!_"

"Natsu." Jude sighed deeply as a hand pressed itself firmly against his own forehead. "Lucy's internship has her working with her ex-boyfriend. I expected you'd be more upset about that news."

Natsu leaned back on his stool. He and Jude both received similar text messages that afternoon from Lucy explaining her entire situation during her first day of work. Natsu wanted to be angry at the idea of Loke being around Lucy all summer, but he could not help but laugh off the entire situation.

"BAHAHA! Oh man, nah I'm not worried at all about that!"

"Natsu?" Jude finally turned to lay his eyes on his prized point guard. "You do understand who she is working with every day, correct?"

"Psh, Loke? Lucy can't stand him." Natsu calmly confirmed his own emotions. "Sure she may have forgave him cuz she's awesome, but Lucy's also really smart. She's not gonna let that guy get the better of her this summer."

He then delivered his usual toothy grin for Jude to see in full. "She's got this, man. It's _Lucy_ we're talking about! She'd forgive that butt Mard Geer if he beat us in the Finals again! If she can forgive someone that's done her wrong, then I guess I can support her while she does it."

Jude looked down at Natsu as the pink haired boy polished off an entire drink of liquor in one sitting. The Salamander snapped at the bar tender one more time, but the wealthy Heartfilia raised his hand to lower Natsu's.

"Sir, Mr Dragneel will take a water, and I'd like to close my tab...Natsu, I thank you for having this talk with me."

"Yea?" Natsu took several blinks as he smiled in response. "Well hey! No problem, I like ta help people!"

"Yes, I've noticed." Jude watched Natsu receive his cup of water, and failed to collect how the Salamander managed to down that in one go as he asked for another water on his own.

"Natsu Dragneel. You've given my daughter so much support over the past two years." Jude swiveled around on his stool, and turned to leave the bar. "I may have drafted you at the beginning of last year's season, but I suppose it's time I owe you yet another personal favor."

"Really?" Natsu felt his head throb a bit, but still smiled through the new found confusion. "Well gee, thanks! I knew you'd come around to that shoe endorsement idea."

Jude shook his head in annoyance at Natsu's remark, and left the club on his own with a set of house hold bodyguards stationed outside the facility as he spoke to himself.

"_Not quite. I need to have a talk with Precht Gaebolg before you start thanking me any time soon."_

* * *

**1\. Sorry, no Gray or Juvia here. I'm letting their side plot build up a bit, but they'll be back!**

**2\. Natsu and his friends (fellow players and agents) playing a round of golf. If he starts taking flash trips to Atlantic City and Las Vegas we really might have the next MJ on our hands! And what's with the shoe ideas!?  
**

**3\. Lucy heads off to her new summer internship, and she finally sits down with a fairly normal Loke. Let's see how this goes...and the Lucy/Brandish relationship pops up again! It kinda reminds me of Starfire and Raven in Teen Titans lol. **

**4\. Gajeel and Levy are expecting twins! The Iron Dragon Power Forward did not expect that, did he?**

**5\. Jude and Natsu have another talk, and the chapter ends. More hoops tomorrow!**


	12. 12 - A Special Assignment

**Author's Note: Here we are back to the basketball. **

**So I'm going to be honest the way the dates have been working out with these two stores has been very serendipitous. I did not intend for these Olympic Games to be the X792 games, I'm just keeping my timeline flowing well. BTW if anyone does not know why me making the Olympics in this story the year X792 is important, then go ahead and google "The Dream Team". **

**ANYWAY let's catch up to The Fire Dragon Kong Natsu!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Twelve - A Special Assignment

* * *

**X792 Fiore National Team Roster**

**Pos.** **Name:** **_Affiliated_** **_Team:_**

**C Jura Neekus _Margaret Lami__a__s_**

**PG Ichiya Kotobuki _Acalypha Pegasi_**

**PG Erik Cubellios _Oracion Seis_**

**PF Ren Akatsuki _Acalypha Pegasi_**

**SF Kageyama Katsu _Oaktown Phantoms_**

**SG Macbeth Capriccio _Oracion Seis_**

**SG Totomaru Pyro _Oaktown Phantoms_**

**PF Erigor Eisenwald _Oracion Seis_**

**SG Rufus Lore _Saber City Tigers_**

**PF Bacchus Groh _Quattro Cerberuses_**

**SF Sawyer Flash _Oracion Seis_**

**C Laxus Dreyar _Magnolia Fairies_**

* * *

"Well taking a look again at that first round roster from Coach Precht Gaebolg and the National Team selection committee, I'd say things look pretty solid so far." Chapati Lola was leading a round table discussion with a group of sportscasters that evening across the entire flower kingdom's television network.

After the unexpected announcement made by Natsu Dragneel at the extravagant Fernandes Wedding, Precht Gaebolg had been attacked by the media so much for more elaboration that he decided to just hold his own press conference and announce the first draft of his roster to the public.

As it stood, only _one _Magnolia Fairy had made the cut so far.

"So what do we make of this?" Chapati turned to the others in the studio. "Do we think this will stand, or will Coach Gaebolg be moving new players in and out? Rumor has it that some of these players may not even keep their position."

"I know, cool right!?" Jason from Sports Report Weekly added in. "They say Eric the Cobra may shift from Point Guard to Shooting Guard, which is really spicy because some believe Macbeth Capriccio is going to be replaced by Jellal Fernandes! Jellal, Erik, Rufus?! Talk about a team with lights out shooting capabilities! SO COOOL!"

"Yes, thank you very much for having me on this evening, gentlemen." Rabian from the newspaper affiliate in Onibus chimed in with a delightful take of his own. "The roster looks to be very sturdy, but there's no flash, no emotion! This team has less personality than their boring coach! Thank you very much!"

"For once, I'd have to agree with Rabian." Mr. Yajima did not look very happy at the first draft of the roster. "The Magnolia Fairies are two-time league champions, and you're only taking one player from their ranks so far? How many big plays do Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster have to produce to make it onto this team? Gajeel Redfox leads the league in rebounds, and he's been nowhere in the discussions all month!"

"Well that might be taking it too far..." Rabian counter argued. "Magnolia also leads the league in most fans abused by players. We need passion, but not crazed lunatics running around in our purple and white jerseys this summer. Thank you very much!"

"That is true, Yajima, and a very honest take from you, Rabian." Chapati looked down at his notes. "But the great Erza Scarlet, or I mean Erza _Fernandes_ now, is set to be one of the assistant coaches. It might do well to stack the national team with Fairies and Tigers if she and Minerva Orland are going to be calling the plays for Precht…well that will do it for us tonight in Crocus, folks. Tune in with us this time next week after Coach Gaebolg and the Selection Committee announce the official final roster for this year's X792 Games!"

The group stopped their debating as the camera panned out, and each man held very different emotions for the national audience to see. Chapati delivered his final words, as the segment came to a close.

* * *

_~Meanwhile, it is now one week after the previous Monday~_

* * *

"Gray, set a pick!" Natsu ran the ball behind his back as he dodged and incoming hand from Midnight trying to steel the pass. Gray came from behind to screen the defender, leaving Natsu with a wide open lane to score his dunk. Jumping over Olga from Saber City, or dodging the wingspan of Erigor the Reaper out of Cait Shelter's Oracion team was all too easy for the Salamander once he took flight to the hoop, and secured the lead for his teammates.

"How!?" Erigor yelled out with his eyes opened wide. "Even you Fairy Flies shouldn't be able to jump like that!"

"What the hell is this!?" Olga stopped his foot down as Midnight helped Erigor up. "Are we playing in Magnolia, or something? Salamander hasn't gotten a foul called on him all day!"

"Heh, ya don't see me complaining!" Natsu's current scrimmage mate, Bacchus Groh, wobbled past Olga and nudged him on the arm as he took a drink from his water bottle. "Maybe ya need ta try jumping off the ground when going for a block, big guy."

"Yea?" Olga towered over the slightly shorter Bacchus as he narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you need to lay off the booze and start taking the game seriously. Can't play in Era if you're just going to let the other all-stars carry your drunk weight around."

"Pfff ahah!" Bacchus wondered off the court for his team's break. "I already made the team, ya big oaf! I'm just here ta keep the devil's mouth shut."

"What a role model." Gray Fullbuster rolled his eyes, and grabbed a towel as he wiped his forehead clean. "Glad to see Fiore is taking their finest to Era this summer to represent their great nation."

"You know it!" Bacchus took his seat, and gave the icy Gray a wink. "Only Fiorens allowed on our team, or did'chu not get the message? I hear Mard Geer's looking for a sixth man over in Alegria!"

"That's not how any of this works, moron." Gray took a seat at the end of the bench. "I only lived in Alegria for a small amount of time. I've been in Fiore my whole life. Nothing says I can't play ball here, too."

"Ah, don't listen to them, Gray! Bullies are only there ta make you stronger!"

Natsu Dragneel walked over, and put a foot on the chair next to Fullbuster. "And besides, I'll need ya on my team settin' picks for me just like that if I want to out-score Alvarez this year!"

"On second thought." Gray sunk down in his seat. "Maybe I don't want to make this team after all."

On the other end of the sports hall, Sting Eucliffe was dribbling back and fourth at the key of another court. The ball flashed right and left through his delicate hands, and his eyes cut across the field of play like scanner vision. He ran into the paint, and dished a pass way out to Lyon Vastia on the wing. The great Small Forward for Margaret Town took two dribbles over, and pivot-passed to an open Cobra on the far left corner.

Cobra faked his shot, and lobbed a ball up to Sting incoming from the top of the free throw line, and the blonde point guard raised his hand to catch the ball, but Gajeel Redfox powered through the air, and obtained a very fair but physical rebound to secure the turnover for his team.

Sting lost his footing on the way down, and after Gajeel passed to Laxus on his landing, he helped the sorry Tiger up off the ground. "You got mad hops, pretty boy. Ya almost scared me there for a second."

"Yea?" Sting smiled, and ran back with Gajeel to the other end. "That's quite the compliment coming from the scariest player in Fiore. Seriously Hades needs to take you with him just to give the opponents a heart attack."

"Well, ta be honest I probably shouldn't even be bothering with this stupid crap." Gajeel contemplated his position on the team as they both watched Hibiki Lates swish a three for Gajeel's team at the other end.

Sting nodded. "Yea Rogue told me all about your news. Congrats man! You're gonna be a dad!"

"Yea." Gajeel heard a whistle signifying it was time for a break. He then walked off on his own. "That's why I don't think I need ta be here this summer..."

Sting's shoulders sunk, bur he turned as the others came his way to make it over to the benches. He gave Laxus a supportive grin, and raised a hand to Laxus. "Hey, good game, man! You've really proved to Hades why picking you was such a good idea!"

Laxus accepted the gesture, but never replied verbally as he took his own seat. Sting simply sighed and shook his head as he went to get his own drink from the cooler.

Natsu was the only one left on the court while all other 40 or so FBA athletes took their break around the sides. Cobra yelled out to try and break the young player's focus. "Come on, Salamander. All-star week is in February. Save that flashy crap for the three-point contest!"

"Why?" Natsu gave him a teasing laugh as he no-look made his second attempt as well. "I'd hate ta take all the spot light from Jellal who beats you year after year!"

Eve Tearm had been waiting under the hoop to kindly fetch rebounds for Natsu, and as he passed the third one back to the successful Salamander, the pink-haired hero of Magnolia shot his third. However, this time he made it a much higher and shorter arc of a shot, and while it was nowhere near coming down by the rim, Natsu let it bounce off the ground right outside the near-post. He grabbed the ball, and slammed a windmill dunk into the net with one hand as he landed on his feet screaming like a maniac.

"Whooohooo!" Natsu slapped Eve's hand so hard the poor Blue Pegasus player regretted giving him the high five for completing the insane dunk. Meanwhile the Salamander kept up his cheer as he grabbed another ball. "Maybe I need ta try both the dunk competition and the 3-point shot contest next year!? Then when I win the MVP trophy for the All-Star Game I'll hold a triple crown!"

"Geeze." Gajeel poured a cup of water over his head as he sat next to an equally annoyed Gray. "Someone needs ta punch him in the mouth before I start getting bored."

"I dunno." Gray looked frozen with attitude as he leaned back in his chair beside Gajeel. "Ya'd probably be able to start taking tickets for people here who'd line up to do it for you."

Gajeel took a sip of water, then spit it back out in the cup. "Yea, but Hades would probably buy them all outright, hehe."

Natsu never heard that, and shouted over to the group of coaches off to the side. "Ya see that, Hades!? I'm making an all-day highlight reel, today! Feel free to record me any time ya'd like!"

Precht never looked up, and continued to point out several notes on papers between he, Erza, and Minerva. Natsu rolled his eyes, and waved over to them in a nonchalant way.

"Pff, whatever. Ignore me while you hit on girls who are way too young ta care about ya!"

Precht was holding a folder full of notes to discuss with his assistants, but he decided to end his mini-conference by slamming the bundle up swiftly in his hands. "Listen up. Get your drinks, then I want the following players to remain in here with me. The rest will earn an early evening, tonight. Tomorrow, those that were not called will stay late, and tonight's men will leave early."

An early evening sounded very nice, but on the Monday of the final tryout week, being sent back to the hotel early was a sure sign that your chances of making the roster were all but gone. The players all stood on their toes as the great Precht rolled off his new impromptu list.

"Aria, Gray, Rogue, Yuka, and Hibiki. You all will join Coach Fernandes. Sting, Gajeel, Jellal, Olga, and Lyon. You will join Coach Orland.

A hush fell over the crowd, and although the men who had been placed on the roster so far seemed to earn an early dismissal for the evening, Natsu Dragneel was fuming out of his mouth while he refused to turn with the other players departing for the night.

"Boy. You're with me."

No one saw Precht pointing at any player, or looking in any direction. Laxus flinched for a moment, since that was the nickname Precht usually reserved for the men in the Dreyar family line. But even he realized what it meant as Natsu Dragneel walked across the court, and stood beside Coach Precht for the next round of basketball to begin.

The larger group of FBA stars left the facility, and as the sun lowered below the tree lines outside the gorgeous glass windows of the tropic Tenrou Sports Complex, Hades blew his whistle, and yelled.

"Begin."

Aria and Olga were at the center, but while Olga stood a few inches taller than the Man of the Heavens, Aria lived up to his nickname and grabbed the ball with his unbelievably wide hands. He dished a pass out to Gray Fullbuster, and the game went underway.

Gray dribbled several times, then gave a pass to the team point guard, Yuka from the Lamias. The guard with great eyebrows took two steps forward, and shifted the ball right as he drove to the right wing. He dribbled back the other way, and re-passed to Gray, who shot a long hail across the paint back to the right corner to Hibiki, who let loose a three point that bounced around the rim and landed in Gajeel's grip to count as a turnover.

Natsu chuckled underneath his breath, and Precht never looked down his way. "What did you notice?"

Salamander shrugged. "Hibiki was shaking well before he even got the ball. He was nervous, and I knew he'd miss it, and Gajeel is always going to scoop up bad shots underneath a rim."

Precht let his eyebrow raise, and carried on. "Do you believe you would have made the shot?"

"Hell yea!" Natsu chuckled. "I never get nervous! Why get nervous when it's just a game to have fun in!"

"Is that so?" Precht nodded. "Who is going to win this game?"

"Minerva's team. Erza's team isn't good enough." Natsu sounded oddly confident in his selection.

Precht rolled his eyes. "Your arrogance is even noticeable off the court. How typical."

"Apologies, _sir._" Natsu was snappy in his reply. "But it's not arrogance. I just know the game."

He continued by pointing out several things with his index finger. "First, ya got Sting, whose the second best point guard in the league leading a field with Jellal Fernandes on it. The dude never misses, and both Sting and Lyon never miss a pass. Olga is a brick wall down in the paint, but even if he's too stupid to rebound a ball, nothing gets out of Gajeel's hands."

"Hmm..." Precht nodded and scratched his chin. He let Natsu finish his thoughts.

"Now don't get me wrong, I love Gray's style of play!" Natsu let out a laugh. "Almost hurts me ta see him get beat out there with Erza coaching him, too. But then you got Yuka and Hibiki, which like, yea they're good, but they totally get carried by their teammates in Margaret Town and Acalypha. Rogue is killer, but the dude gets more nervous even when Minerva's not the one breathing down his neck. Finally Aria can only do so much since he's like the slowest center in the league. If he plants his feet, it's game over, but Minerva's squad is too fast to let that happen."

"Well, I'm impressed." Hades never looked down, but kept his eyes on the game.

Natsu looked up like a puppy dog and smiled. "R-Really? What you think I'm right?"

Precht never nodded, or shook his head. "I'm impressed you keep all that inside your head, when it looks like you never even bother to think while you're on the court. I have yet to see you deliver a single pass to any other player in two seperate weeks of tryouts."

"Pssh, of course not!" Natsu shook his head and laughed. "A player only needs ta pass when he feels threatened!"

"And so...?" Precht reluctantly waited for the Salamander to arrive at his point.

Natsu delivered confidently. "Sooo I haven't felt threatened all this time! I'm the best player in the league, Hades. There ain't nothing these guys can throw at me that will shake my game!"

Precht sighed. He wanted desperately to crack this stubborn boy over the head with his clip board, but never gave into the greedy satisfaction. Instead he kept watching the game.

Sting Eucliffe had the ball, and waited for Lyon to deliver a screen before he ran into the right side of the paint. He passed it out to Jellal at the close corner, but the Meteor Man Fernandes went back to Lyon at the elbow, who gave it back to Sting now at the other side of the key. Sting now saw a drive open at the left post, and just as he brought it close to Aria, he spun around the great center, and smoothly dipped it to Gajeel who leaped for a towering dunk.

Precht nodded. "There is more to great basketball than big plays and scoring. Transitions, facilitation, the ball movement is what makes this great dance unlike any other athletic spectacle."

"What's your point?" Natsu crossed his arms, with narrow eyes now looking at Sting running down the court. "I coulda moved the ball around like that if I wanted to."

Precht sighed. "You play the Point Guard position, but Makarov has told me you struggle to fully understand that role. You play like a Small Forward, Dragneel."

"Psh!" Natsu was starting to grow bored of all this talk. "Yea, they all told me that my rookie year. I'm a point guard cuz I like ta lead plays and whip my team into shape when the going gets tough, but when I need to make a drive, I'm not afraid to do it anymore like I was two years ago."

Precht surprised him. "I know, I can agree with that entire statement. You shouldn't be forced to play like a point guard."

"Huh!?" Natsu almost fell over in confusion. "What are you saying, now? This some kind of stupid reverse-psychology!?"

Coach Precht rolled his eyes. "There are some small forwards who have learned to play both positions, so there is reason to believe it can work the other way around. If you're going to play like a _Point-Forward_, you need to learn what it takes to blend those two positions together. You need to educate yourself on the history of the league, and study those who have tried to play a game like yours."

"HAHA! What the hell is a point-forward?" Natsu almost died of laughter. "And why would I wanna watch a bunch of old fossils trying to run around in over-sized shoes on grainy TV? HA!"

Precht stroked his long grey beard in frustration. "I expected that reaction, which is why I'm forcing you to do this as your personal homework assignment. I'm sending you back to Magnolia for 24 hours, with assistance from the Fairies Organization to help me get you there."

"Huh!?" Natsu had totally lost the man. "For what!? I want to stay here and make this damn team!"

"I know." Precht noted sharply. "and I want you to learn what it takes to play this game in order for you to earn a spot on my roster. You will go to Magnolia, and you will study all the artwork, photo galleries, trophy cases, and statistical banners hanging up in South Gate Arena. I'll send you to the Basketball Hall of Fame across town if I have to. You may have been the first team to win a trophy for the modern Fairies in the FBA, but no other franchise in the history of Fiore is surrounded by great legends like the town of Magnolia."

He blew the whistle to give the players a 60 second water break, then turned away from Natsu, keeping his voice only loud enough for Natsu to hear him.

"I'm adding Jellal Fernandes to my roster. Your friends Gray and Gajeel may even follow in his place. They all see the game with respect to how it's meant to be played...It's time you, yourself learned what the sport of basketball really is. Your flight should be here any minute. I suggest you pack up, and be ready to meet your escort when they arrive."

* * *

"This is so freaking lousy and stupid and I can't believe I have ta drag my bags all the way out here for a one day stupid trip back to Magnolia and..."

Natsu was wearing a tropical shirt and pants as he buried his face into his white checkered scarf, and stood with arms crossed waiting inside the private airport on Tenrou Island for the supposed jet to arrive from Magnolia. He continued to mutter incoherent curses underneath the scarf's fabric while a very tired Gray wiped his brow of sweat to the right of him.

"So hold on, what did he say?" Gray asked while he held a towel around his shoulders as he and Natsu stood by the airport doors. "Are you on the team if you do this?"

"I don't know." Natsu growled. "He just said do it and get back. I better be playing every one of those lousy jerks in one-on-one when I return!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "At least he's giving you some super extra assignment. I feel like I'm swimming in mud trying to keep up with this roster thing."

"Nah, you played well, Gray. Hades and I talked about it."

"Huh, really?" Gray almost did not wanted to believe him as he leaned to the side. "Wha, you two some cute BFFs or something, now?"

"Nah, but we do see the game pretty similarly." Natsu hated to admit. "He's taking that punk Midnight off the roster, and adding Jellal instead. I think you and Gajeel might be next."

"Are you serious!?" Gray almost fell back, and managed to feel a little flutter of hope take his chest on the inside. "Wow, I almost decided to call it quits right when practice ended."

"Yea? Well it ended." Natsu started covering his nose with the scarf. "Go take a shower and put on a damn shirt, you're stinking up the whole lobby."

They both looked at each other with angry eyes, until the airport doors rolled open to reveal a very bizarre duo joining the crew on Tenrou.

"GRAY, MY BELOVED DARLING! JUVIA IS HERE AT LAST!"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Gray debated on running in the other direction, but now found himself lying on the floor after Juvia tackled him in a romantic embrace. Despite his lack of post-practice hygiene, and the frozen employees and officials walking through the lobby in the private airport, the blue-haired vixen had captured Gray's lips in a marathon of kissing and inappropriate noises.

"Yea, I'm really sorry, everybody!" Lucy Heartfilia was standing in the electric doorway as she lowered her head. "I don't know her...she just followed me on the plane from Magnolia."

"Lucy!?" Natsu wanted to fall back also. "What the crap are you doing here!?"

"Hehe, surprise!" Lucy awkwardly raised both her hands. "Apparently Precht wanted my dad to fly you back to Magnolia, but I came home from Week 1 of my internship, so dad sent me here instead."

"Ohhh, "Natsu walked up and gave her a big hug. "So you're the person whose supposed to escort me home? Cool! Welcome to Tenrou! I bet you'll probably be seeing this place a lot once your intern thingy gets into full swing."

"Yea, that's probably right." Her cheeks were bright red as she analyzed the lovely tropical setting surrounding the airport, as the orange setting sun lit the sky up behind them. "Loke said this is where I should start once Precht decides his roster. But enough of that, we can share stories on the jet. We have to get you back to Magnolia!"

"Nah, we can just stay here...or swim back instead...or just stay here." Natsu started to walk backwards as Lucy tugged on his arms and walked him through the doors.

"Come on, you've been taking medication, remember? It'll be fine! I'll have dad's staffers get your bags, and we can fall asleep on the flight home."

* * *

After a quick flight off the island from Natsu and Lucy, and a quick reunion with Juvia and Gray, the latter couple actually found themselves enjoying a nice evening together in a romantically well-lit restaurant in the middle of Tenrou.

"The Red Lizard?" Gray looked through the menu, and felt his stomach growl loudly as he tried to pick his meal option. "I need ta remember this place is here. This town is pretty cute, not a bad place to be if I make this team."

"Absolutely!" Juvia agreed as she looked out at the lightly packed streets on the calm Monday evening. They were out in a patio space, and yellow glowing light bulbs hung low to deliver a pleasant scene for enjoying their first special meal together since their best friends' wedding. "I may even make a few trips back to the island, after this. I'm working with the Olympic committee to have my restaurant be one of the Team Fiore sponsors this year."

"Really? That's so awesome." Gray raised his ice water, and toasted to her wonder opportunity. "That would explain your wild arrival out of the blue. It's nice to see you here, Juvia. I really needed this right now."

"Well I'm glad to be here with you, my love!" She smiled brightly, and reached across the table to grab his hand. "And I was also glad to be with you in that romantically breathtaking shower we shared together just moments befo..."

"Yea ye...keep it down, babe. There's paparazzi crawling all over this island right now." Gray was not one to flaunt his love life. He enjoyed keeping this classy and modest. "Anyway, I was actually thinking about you all day, until I talked with Natsu before you got here."

"Oh?" Juvia scooped a piece of ice out of her glass with a straw. "Well what did he have to say to make your day turn around?"

Gray shrugged and looked out to the street, then to the other side of the patio. He then leaned in to whisper to his girlfriend in confidence. "I'm not believing him until it happens, but Natsu thinks Hades is taking me for the team."

"WHAT!?" Juvia leaped out of her chair and leaned violently across the table to wrap Gray in a very tight hug. "Oh my hunky icicle that's absolutely wonderful news! Oh I can go with you to Era and watch you win me a gold medal, then we can arrive home after a romantic getaway halfway around the world, then get married and raise our thirty-three children like we've always dreamed of doing!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Gray could barely breath as his head was stuffed deeply inside Juvia's ample chest. "And could ya keep your voice down? Where ya not listening to me about the press!?"

"Oh...sorry..." Juvia lowered herself back into her chair, and ran a finger through a curly lock of her hair. "I'd just be so happy if...if that really ended up happening!" She held a hand beside her face to cover the last bit.

"Yea, well I'm really glad to hear that, Juvia. Thanks." Gray was so happy that she came to see him that day, and almost felt more confident that things were starting to turn around for him altogether.

Juvia caught on to his good mood, and decided to ask him something that had been burning in her mind for quite some time. "Um, Gray my darling, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"A personal question?" Gray shrugged and nodded as he took off his over-shirt. "Sure, why not. You're like the only person I'd let ask me stuff like that."

Juvia nodded, then took a deep breath. "Okay...here I go...Gray my love, is it entirely okay with you that you weren't born in Fiore?"

Gray put his drink down, and looked at his empty plate and menu lying on the table. "Oh, well I expected this would come up eventually…"

Juvia lowered her hands below the table, and gripped them both nervously. "I-I understand that when I was dating Bora, he only wanted to marry me to gain Fiore citizenship. I...I always make jokes and try pressuring you into getting married...but..."

Her blue eyes grew wide, but she found herself looking nervously away from Gray. "But I'd be happy to marry you so you could become a citizen, yourself."

Gray stopped and collected that generous thought, then smiled. "Juvia, I'd never force you to marry me for some dumb selfish reason. If we ever get married, it'll be cause we love each other. Besides, _I'll_ be the one asking _you_ to marry me...Just be patient with me, okay?"

"Right..." Juvia let out a mixed emotional laugh, but smiled for him anyway. "I love you, Gray. I can be patient."

"Sure thing. I love you too, Juvia." He leaned forward, and placed his elbows on the table. "But this isn't about citizenship. Bora needed his to stay in the country because he was here illegally. I've always been protected by my family. My mom was born in Fiore. My dad and I may not be, but we've both had work visas from the FBA and stuff keeping us here. I can become a citizen anytime I want, but it wouldn't really change much."

He looked outside, and noticed a series of flags flying in the distance at the Fiore Sports Complex, with the middle one being the same purple and white banner as that very country. "Like I said, though, this isn't about citizenship...it's about country pride. If these guys pick a kid who wasn't born here over a naturally born guy, then I go on and play like absolute ass, then the press would go ballistic. They'd call for my head, and I'd be chased out of Magnolia, or something."

"Oh Gray, but you love Fiore!" She reached over and grabbed his hands. "I know you do! Who cares what all those monsters on the outside think? You're just as patriotic as the other men on that team. Besides..."

Juvia raised her head, and planted a kiss firmly on his unsuspecting lips. She then leaned back, and showed a smile framed with two rosy pink cheeks.

"If your number one fan is from Fiore, then I'm sure others here will fall in love with you too!"

Gray lost his breath for a moment, but started to slowly smile as he kept looking at Juvia. "Hey, that sounds good to me, thanks for the support, Juvia."

"No problem, my darling!" She beamed, then felt a teardrop of sweat rolling down her forehead. "But, could you at least put _one_ of your shirts back on before those cameramen you talked about come back around? Your hunky pectorals are showing for everyone to see..."

"Huh? _BAHHH!_" Gray jumped out of his chair and noticed he had been sitting completely shirtless for the last several minutes. Juvia sighed as he rustled to get a shirt back on, but at that same time, a very amused black-haired man sat at the far end of the restaurant patio with a smirking face and a full glass of wine placed between his fingers.

"Well, Gray Fullbuster is set to make the Fiore roster. Not to mention Jellal Fernandes and Gajeel Redfox. Seems like the Fiore team will be quite formidable in this year's Games."

Zeref Dragneel looked out to the evening scenery surrounding the town street corner to the right. The sun was turning low, and the deep oranges were become quite dark as night time was beginning to fall on Tenrou Island. His green-haired dinner mate was face deep in the menu, but as she dropped it down to her plate, the snooty young girl slid her golden sunglasses over her annoyed eyes and leaned back.

"I'm glad the gossip here is juicy, because the food looks absolutely lame."

"Ahah, oh come now, Brandish!" Zeref raised his glass of wine, and delivered a handsome smile to his peculiar business partner on the other side of the table. "Let's try and enjoy the evening the best that we can. After all, we did just arrive this morning."

* * *

**1\. The first draft roster has been released! Let's see how much of it will change...**

**2\. I appreciate all the NBA, but this story will be taking a lot from that golden era '80s and '90s NBA stuff. Really good footage on Youtube if you're no a basketball person but want more! Drawing inspiration has been very easy for me...**

**3\. Natsu sees the game so well. Go back and watch the Fairy Tail anime and listen to how everyone at the Grand Magic Games praises Natsu for the way he behaves in the fight vs Sting and Rogue. I'm trying to carry that over to here. You may hate Natsu (much like many hated Michael Jordan), but when it came time, the G.O.A.T. knew when to turn it on. Also Natsu and Precht share an interesting moment here, too.**

**4\. Juvia and Lucy surprise Gray and Natsu! We get a little Gruvia moment in the town on Tenrou, and an interesting pair of individuals is snooping on the two lovers enjoying their romantic dinner.**

**More chapters as soon as possible! Let's catch up on Levy and Gajeel's babies next time, and see what kind of research Natsu and Lucy perform together once we return!**

**Until next time!**


	13. 13 - Learn Your History, Boy!

**Author's Note: Okay, let's see what Natsu gets into on his historical scavenger hunt!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen - Learn Your History, Boy!

* * *

Gajeel sat in his hotel room on the luxurious island of Tenrou. It was a warm Tuesday morning in the late month of May, almost the turn of June. Gajeel was lying in his overly fluffy bed holding a glass of orange juice while wrapped in an all-white expensive bathrobe.

"All right, so give me the update, Shrimp. What's goin' on with the little fellas, now?" Gajeel took a sip from his glass as the sun slowly rose over the ocean view and into his window as he looked at his open laptop computer.

Levy McGarden was sitting inside her luxurious General Manager's office in South Gate Arena. She had on a pair of red reading glasses as she found time to put away her paperwork and video call her beloved boyfriend from all the way in downtown Magnolia.

"It's so good to see you, babe! I hope you're practices are going well!" Her tiny figure barely filled up the screen, but her desk full of FBA paperwork really captured her career rather well for the star power forward on the other side.

"Well, if that lousy idiot, Salamander can be counted on for anything useful, I may just be ready to accept a ticket clear to Era."

"I heard!" Levy took her glasses off and gave him a smile. "Precht had offered me a spot on the Olympic Selection committee, but I turned it down for, well...you know, hehe."

Levy McGarden, despite her current exciting life changes, was still regarded as being the greatest General Manager in the FBA so far. Her managerial skills combined with her knowledge of litigation, policy, and debate made her the most extreme force the FBA had ever seen in a team's front office. Precht Gaebolg struggled to find the modern shining lights in his once proud home team from Magnolia, but figures like Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyar, and Levy McGarden left him very satisfied with where the personality of the Magnolia Fairies had been left at.

She rubbed her stomach and replied to his earlier question. "But yes, about the twins. They're pretty healthy, right now. I'm still early enough where I'm cleared for work, but I'm just going to be keeping myself in Magnolia for the summer and fall."

"But hold on?" Gajeel leaned up from his bed and looked at the screen more intensely. "You're going to make it to these stupid games, right? Don't tell me you're leaving me alone with the rest of those idiots in Era by myself!"

"I don't know about that yet, Gajeel!" She gave him a smile, but Levy honestly had not idea how to answer him fully. "As of right now, you haven't made the team yet, so I told my doctors I'm comfortable with no crazy traveling until I give birth. If you _do_ happen to make the team...well I guess I'll be in my fifth month by then, so I'll just have to talk with Dr. Belno about it."

"Agh, that lousy woman!?" Gajeel finished his OJ and tossed the glass to the floor. "What the hell does she know about us, anyway?"

Levy shook her head. "Well, for one she really liked meeting you the other day. She said you remind her of her son."

"Bleh!" Gajeel turned away from the screen and sat up on his bed as he looked out to see the rolling sea beyond the window. He scratched his cheeks around all the bizarre piercings. "She doesn't know me...no one does."

"I do." Levy beamed through the camera. "Gajeel, please. If you make the team, we'll celebrate with Jude and the staff here in Magnolia. Then you and I can go to the hospital and talk about a plan. I want to see you make the team...and win the medal...but..."

"Yea..." The Iron-hearted athlete sighed, and felt his own skin melt as her words his his ears. "But it doesn't matter. Your heath is all I care about until those little guys are born."

Levy leaned back in her overly large office chair, and tried to keep her blushing cheeks from showing on camera. "Have you decided on any names yet? I won't know the sexes until next month, but I hope it's a boy and a girl!"

Gajeel scratched his scruffy chin, and gave her his opinion. "Good question. If that's the case, I'm thinking Metalicana for a boy. Ya know, call him 'Met' for short? As for a girl...I dunno, just call her Lily or something."

Levy shook her head several times and put a hand to her forehead. "Oh-kay, we'll have to work on it, I guess...I don't hate Lily, for a boy or a girl. I'll see you later, Gajeel. Love you!"

"Yea, see ya, Short Stuff. Love ya too." Gajeel shut the laptop off, and walked over to the fridge to pour a second glass of juice, only this time, he found space to fit some vodka in the bottom as well.

"Alright, practice isn't for another hour. I wonder what those idiots Gray and Jellal are up too...that Rogue keeps wanting to hang out, maybe we should go get breakfast together?"

* * *

"Okay, a _Point forward_ is a nontraditional position in basketball, with a small forward—or sometimes a power forward or combo forward—adding the responsibilities of point guard to their play."

"Duh, Lucy! We already could have guessed that!" Natsu and Lucy were riding in the back of an expensive limousine through downtown Magnolia as they recently left the Heartfilia terminal of the nearby International Airport, and made it closer to South Gate Arena. "But I'm a Point Guard trying to add the responsibilities of a Small Forward to my play!"

"Well sorry, Natsu!" She yelled back as she shut off her smart phone. "But not all of us are all-star professional basketball players...not to mention _YOU_ were the one who told _ME_ to look it up!"

"Well yea, cause you're the smart one!" Natsu laughed as he finally felt comfortable riding in one of Jude Heartfilia's limos. "I need ta know what Precht was trying ta tell me back on Tenrou. We need to get this right before we fly back, tonight!"

"Yea, sure, whatever..." Lucy leaned her head against the window, then looked over to Natsu. "You look like you've just discovered fire. Enjoying yourself over there?"

"Oh yea I am!" Natsu stuck his head out the window like a dog and waved at fellow Magnolia citizens passing by. "Hey guys! Mornin' to Magnolia!"

"Natsu Dragneel!" Every person on the sidewalk flashed their phones and cameras as the limo passed by, and Lucy found herself sighing in the next seat.

"So much for keeping a low profile...are we almost there, Grandpa Crux?"

The limo driver looked back through the mirror, but caught a sneeze in his nose before replying in his slick southern drawl. "YAAAHOOO! Ugh, yes, Miss Lucy, we should be arrivin' any second now."

"Thanks for driving us again, we really appreciate it!" Lucy always hated making her family employees do things for her, and tried to let them know how sincere she was every second she saw them. "Okay Natsu, I have exactly 13 hours total to teach you what Precht wants you to find. The only problem is I have no idea what that is, but I'm always glad to help as a budding journalism expert!"

"Sounds good to me!" The two high-fived as the limo rolled up to the main entrance of the grand South Gate Arena. "Oh man, I missed this place! How long's it been? Two weeks?"

"Yea, something like that..." Lucy admitted that with a dreadful memory as the last time they both were in the arena was for the disastrous Scarlet-Fernandes Wedding. Lucy took her phone back out, and laid it on top of her folder of papers as they made their way for the main doors. "Right, so while we do this I hope you're still okay with me interviewing you?"

"I guess..." Natsu chuckled and walked through first as if it were his first time in the main lobby. "But haven't we interviewed together a lot by now?"

"I know..." Lucy sounded depressed to hear his lack of enthusiasm. "But Loke said it'd be a good idea to interview a player or staff member associated with the Olympic team this week. He originally told me to talk with Coach Gaebolg, but now I'm here by his orders and my father's..."

"Heehee, stuck with me? I love it!" Natsu put his arm around the blonde as they both stood still in the wide open lobby space to the newly renovated South Gate Arena. "Man, Lucy. Your dad put hella money into this arena. It looks amazing!"

"Yea it does." She finally felt proud to brag about her family name. "You guys winning two championships back-to-back had quite the effect on this organization...speaking of which...what was it like to lead the Fairies to two back-to-back titles?"

"Ah, boring questions later, Lucy! I need ta learn!"

Lucy looked comically defeated. "Fine...we'll gather information for _you_ first. Even though you probably won't bother memorizing any of it..."

They both charged in to find the main trophy case visible to the primary entrance of the stadium, which housed the two previous FBA championship Mavis Vermilion Trophies. Both Natsu and Lucy felt their eyes grow wide trying to relive the glory and history of their own two-year past, but then felt themselves wondering their gaze upward.

They both looked up at a great big picture of their current team photograph. Natsu chuckled and scanned the faces of all his friends. "Man, we are a handsome bunch! No wonder we have such awesome girlfriends!"

"Eh, some of you..." Lucy laughed as only the starters and some of the bench players were currently dating anybody. "Natsu, we need to look at _older_ photos. Yury Dreyar, Mavis Vermilion, ya know? Historical stuff!"

"Oh yea!" Natsu clapped his hands together as he led his girl friend to the left. "Let's find some photos of those old dusty farts! I wanna see what they wore!"

They ran through the proud house that her father owned, and just as the two young students passed over boring advertisements scattered along each wall, Lucy stopped Natsu at the west entrance of the stadium. "Natsu, here's the old trophy case from the first era!"

Natsu and Lucy were frozen looking at a series of trophies and awards all dated well a century ago. A very old medal plaque stood at the center of the display as Lucy read the fading bronze words back to her partner

_"Founded in in X686, the sport of basketball has always been the pride of Magnolia Town. This great athletic venture helped spread the wonders of physical activity, and leisure competition throughout the neighborhoods of Magnolia, and eventually, all across the Kingdom of Fiore."_

"WHOAH!" Natsu almost fell back. "It says the Fairies franchise was founded later in X690! Didn't coach Precht play on the first team? IS HE OVER A HUNDRED!?"

"Shh, stop yelling, Natsu!" Lucy smacked his arm, and leaned in more. "It says the first basketball league started in X690-691. Oh wow! I never knew Mavis was actually born on Tenrou Island? I always thought she was born here in Magnolia!"

"Really? That is pretty neat!" Natsu could read perfectly fine, but he always found that letting someone else read for him was less pain for his brain."What else does it say?"

"It says Magnolia will always be credited as being the birthplace of both the sport of basketball, and the FBA. I guess that's why the league Hall of Fame sits along the north shore neighborhood by Lake Scilliora. I think Juvia's restaurant is only a few blocks from it."

"Hey, here's Laxus's dad! Er, might be his grandpa...hey that makes this Gramps!"

"Natsu." Lucy sighed and laughed. 'That's Makarov's dad, Yury. He's the most famous player basketball has ever known."

"Really?" Natsu had always heard people say that, but never took it seriously. "Kinda weird how he and I both played for the same team."

"Yea, it's also weird that I find your wild sense of ego slightly attractive." Lucy bent down to read a second plaque labeled on one of the trophies sitting inside the case. "They used to call the league trophy the 'Tenrou Orb.' It was a round ball made entirely of jade. That changed when the Basketball Confederation of Fiore merged with the Central Basketball League to form the FBA half a century later!"

"Yea, this is really great and boring and all, but I need ta find out more about the players." Natsu tried reading the awards on his own.

"Yury Dreyar (PG): 25,192 total points (27.0 ppg), 5,366 Rebounds (5.8 rpg), and 6,238 assists (6.7 apg). His nicknames included _Mr. Clutch_, for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied the X691 BCF championship game against the Oaktown Phantoms; _The Logo_, in reference to his silhouette being incorporated into the modern FBA logo; and _Mr. Lightning_ for the time he 'struck' lightning and recorded the first ever triple double in the sport vs the X690 Margaret Town Snakes."

"Wow." Lucy leaned up and laughed. "Good thing Margaret Town changed the name of their mascot. Too creepy. So the Fairies beat the Phantoms in the very first ever basketball championship, long before the FBA was ever a thing? No wonder you guys are all such hated rivals!"

"Dude!" Natsu smiled with glee. "This guy was awesome! The first ever triple-double! What else have these old-timers done?"

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Natsu. Let's see…Warrod Sequen."

His stats were read below.

"Warrod Sequen (C): 14,522 points (15.1 ppg), 21,620 rebounds (22.5 rpg) and 4,100 assists (4.3 apg) A 3-time league Defensive Player of the Year with the Magnolia Fairies, Sequen has always been referred to a 'The Great Tree' for his sturdy style of play down below the rim, and his ability to breath life into any failing Fairy match-up. He sounds just as good as Yury!"

"Nah, Yury was too revolutionary. That's why they loved him." Natsu beamed with glee as he started to breath in all the plaques and trophies in front of his face. "This is awesome! I've always loved the game, but it's cool ta finally see how far along it's come since the old days!"

"Yea?" Lucy was scribbling everything Natsu said down on paper. "And after learning all this new information, what would a player of your caliber want to try next?"

"Duh!" Natsu laughed without looking. "Try and go for gold! Fiore needs the medal. I almost wonder if these fools have ever won the…!"

And then he saw it. "The Fiore Flowers" they were called. This team under the command of a then twenty-three year-old coach Mavis Vermilion won gold at the very first ever Grand Olympic Games hosted in the city-state of Era in X696. As the inventor of the sport, Mavis and her Fairies not only came to play the great game on the world stage, but they also came to prove why Fiore had always been the true home of basketball.

"So Mavis and the gang actually won gold...we really do need to wrestle it back..."

"Hey Natsu..." Lucy was pointing at the other end of the same glass trophy case. "I-I think I found what you've been looking for."

"Precht Gaebolg (SF), aka 'The Dagger.' 18,940 points (16.1 ppg), 7,494 (6.4 rpg), 6,135 (5.2 apg). Known as the one of the most versatile small forwards to ever play the sport, he along with Yury Dreyar claimed six BCF championships under the command of Mavis Vermilion from X691 to X696, finishing his legendary run at Era by winning the first ever gold medal for basketball in the Grand Olympic Games. He is also acredited for developing the 'Point-Forward' style of play."

"Wow." Natsu wanted to freeze in time in order to try and comprehend the facts that he was currently trying to record inside his brain. "The Magnolia Fairies won the first national championship in X691...we won Magnolia their first ever FBA title in X791. Talk about a wild way to celebrate an anniversary!"

"I'll say..." Lucy felt goose bumps taking her arms. "It's no wonder why Warrod tried buying the team from dad that season. It probably just felt like destiny to him."

"He knew greatness when he saw it." Natsu was referencing to his rookie season, where he first met Lucy, Jude, and the other Fairies to win the FBA championship trophy. "Okay, so there are Precht's stats. I guess he used to play that point-forward style of ball...Big deal? I'm averaging 20 points to his 16!"

"Yea, but the point was he did more then score...not to mention Yury averaged 27." Lucy tried teasing Natsu for once. "I think I was born in the wrong era. He sounds like a much better basketball boyfriend."

"Ah shut it." Natsu was in no mood, and kept looking at old photos. "These trophies are cool, and yea the stats are right there, but...agh! Why can't these pictures move!? I want to see Hades pay ball!"

"Natsu...they're pictures. They don't move." Lucy put a finger to her chin and tried to think up a new strategy for finding the information they sought. "We might be able to just look up old highlights on the internet, but we'd have to use one of our phones. Plus, we're talking really old footage that may not be available anywhere online..."

"YAHOOO!"

Lucy leaped into Natsu's arms as a great loud yelling sound shook the west lobby of South Gate Arena. The two turned to find the ancient Grandpa Crux had left the limo to follow the two on their historical date through basketball legacies.

"Well, Miss Lucy, I'm sorry ta scare you, but I might have the information you seek."

"Really?" Lucy jumped out of Natsu's hands and looked down at her old family friend. "Are you a big fan of the Fairies?"

"Ah shucks!" Crux adjusted his glasses. "I used to work in the building that was here before this one! Eh, back when it was much smaller and only seated half the crowd. I was here when Coach Makarov played in the BCF, and when your father bought the team in X770. My my, they were pretty bad way back then. Jude put a lot of money into this lofty hall of talent."

"Woah, so how'd you go from being a janitor to driving Jude's limos, old man?" Natsu sounded genuine in his question as he turned to Crux.

Then old man provided the two young ones with a humorous smile. "Well, it was actually the night of the Fairies' first win with Jude as the owner. He got pretty wild with the players and staff that night..I was the only one left in the stadium, so I offered to drive him home in his expensive town car. The next day he promoted me with a raise and made me a personal limo driver for the family."

"Wow, that all only happened a few years before I was born." Lucy pondered. "I've never really asked my dad why he ever bought an FBA team in the first place. He grew up in Acalypha, so why he ever came to Magnolia is an even bigger mystery."

Crux nodded, and passed the two by to look at the old trophy case. "Ah, none of these stats or trophies were ever won here. They were all played at an old facility named the _Guild Hall_. It used to reside on Magnolia University's campus."

"Oh yea!" Lucy snapped her fingers. "That's the nickname of the new Magnolia U basketball arena. I guess Mavis's uncle was a professor in phys ed there back in the old days. He was on that first roster too."

"Yep, August Vermilion." Crux gave a firm nod. "He's the head coach of the Alvarez National Team. 2-time gold medal winning head coach."

"Pff! Screw him and those losers then!" Natsu finally re-joined the conversation after hearing the word 'Alvarez.'

Crux chuckled to himself as he looked at the oldest photo in the gallery. It featured a very young Yury Dreyar passing a ball to an even younger Mavis, and a brown-haired girl with pig-tails was yelling at them in the background.

"Mavis created the sport after playing with her uncle's phys. Ed class on a rainy day. She and Zera, a friend from school, made up the rules right there on campus. Yury, Precht, and Warrod were the top athletes at Magnolia at the time, and all gave up their majors to help her start her dream. Then Zera's dad Zeeself tagged along, and after Uncle August joined in they had five men to make a whole team. Other cities caught one, and the first league was made known as the Basketball Confederation of Fiore. First season was X690-691, and...well, you youngsters seem to have learned the rest."

"So now we have a better idea...but now we need one more piece of the puzzle." Lucy's face turned into a great big smile as she grabbed both of Natsu's hands. "I know where to go! We need to find old footage of the team!"

"Where are we gonna go for that?" Natsu asked her abruptly. "Erza's on Tenrou Island, and you talked to Levy in the car. She's at the hospital getting some freaky check-up. Neither one of them probably want us snooping around in their offices."

Lucy wagged her finger and locked an arm with Natsu as a smug expression took her very proud face. "No no, I know an even better office to visit in this lofty hall of expertise. Grandpa Crux, thank you again for pointing us in the right direction! We really owe you one!"

"No problem at all, My Dear. Just promise me you'll win that Gold Medal here in July, Mr. Dragneel. Sound fine?"

"Sounds more than fine!" Natsu ran forward towards the nearby staircase as Lucy joined him in the same amount of energy. "Alright Lucy, lead the way! I'm all fired up now!"

* * *

"So I ask you to serve Natsu as a valuable historian to help inflate your journalism career, and what do you do, Lucy? You bring the boy to me and ask for my help."

Jude Heartfilia sat in his South Gate Arena office as he sighed looking away from his daughter and star Point Guard. He was thumbing through his own paperwork for the airline business, but stopped the moment his beloved daughter came through his doors and brought Natsu along with her.

"I'm sorry, dad, but we need your help for the next part of our day!" Lucy was alight with energy as she smiled at her father on the other side of the desk. "We need old footage of the Magnolia Fairies. As old as you can find, the older the better!"

"Yea!" Natsu gave his support, then looked at the desk work. "Why are ya doin' all this airline stuff here at South Gate? Don't you have some cooperate headquarters for your main business?"

Jude sighed, and cleaned off his desk before he had to answer any unwanted questions. "The airline company gets a little too busy for me this time of year. I let my other executives run the busy months. Besides, my main passion is this sport. I've almost made the Fairies my primary source of revenue."

"Yea, about that..." Lucy never dreamed of trying to interview her own father, but in light of trying to collect notes of Magnolia history, and in spite of her ex-boyfriend who now happened to be her professional supervisor, she began writing down his responses. "Why did you want to buy the Magnolia Fairies in the first place? What was going on with you in X770?"

Jude leaned back and stroked his fine blond mustache hanging over his lip. He then laughed. "Well, to be honest I never actually enjoyed the sport growing up. My shot was awful, and I was never very athletic...it was your mother. Layla loved it with all her heart."

"Really?" Natsu and Lucy both spoke over one another as the FBA boyfriend carried on. "So Lucy's mom was a real baller, huh?"

Jude hated hearing Natsu talk about his desired Layla like that. "Layla was very good at it, yes. We met in Magnolia. I had just graduated from Acalypha's School of Business and she was a senior studying the same major at Magnolia University."

"So mom liked business?" Lucy asked inquisitively.

"So Papa Jude and I have the same Alma Mater!?" Natsu yelled out rather rambunctiously.

Jude semi-ignored them both, and indirectly answered their questions as he carried on. "I earned my first job working for a railway company here in town, and a friend of mine named Jean-Luc Neville invited me to watch a game in Magnolia. He actually introduced me to your mother."

"Oh, he and you founded the airlines together! You met mom through him?!" Lucy was done writing note, and started to fall in love with hearing her own family story.

Jude smiled fondly. "She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I had to have her, but I was too afraid to say anything. A year had passed, and I was a billionaire one-year out of college. I finally found the courage to ask your mother out, and then you came along in X772."

Jude stood up, and hit a button on the wall. Having this warm conversation with his daughter and her supposed boyfriend had relaxed his bones for a minute between work, and left him quite in the mood to hep the two youngsters out. "Your grandmother, Anna, was actually a former WFBA player, and she helped me acquire the team in X770. I had no idea what I was doing prior to, but after I met Layla and her mother, they were both very invested in running the Fairies while Jean-Luc and I took the airlines business 'off the ground' so to speak."

He took a remote from his desk, and turned on a very expensive Television monitor. After thumbing through a few virtual files, Jude clicked on a very old and gray thumbnail with great haste.

"Ah..." He sighed pleasantly and lowered the room lights from his desk. "This is one of my favorites. Mavis Vermilion discussing the rules."

_~Now in the film, circa. X686~_

"_No no, Yury, you can't just run through people like that. It's so impractical!"_

"_Ah, come on, Mavis! How the hell am I supposed ta score inside this dinky little peach basket if I can't get under the rim?!"_

"_Well, you could always try growing a few inches?" A tall man with bushy hair and a rough smile slapped the young Yury on the back. "That was a joke by the way, just try and get around me next time!"_

"_He would try to get around you if you weren't such a gargantuan human being." The man that replied had bright hair, almost a blonde, but the footage was grey, and the most memorable thing about him was a mean look and a habit of covering his mouth when he talked._

"NO WAY!" Natsu jumped out of his chair. "It's freakin' Precht and Warrod!?"

"Yea!" Lucy beamed. "And Yury and Mavis! She's only thirteen in this film!?"

_Back in the film world, Mavis giggled as she danced over to the group and snagged the ball from Yury. "Oh no, you have it all wrong. You're allowed to throw the ball, but no just running around at free will! You guys try to hurt each other when you just charge around all over the place."_

"_No joke." A very pouty girl with dark pig-tails emerged on the scene with a fist pressed to her right hip. "Mavis, can we go, yet? I want to go hang out with our friends, and not these loser old men!"_

"_No you can't leave yet, Mavis!" The handsome Yury ran over and took the little girl's hand. "You have ta stay and tell me if my jumping shot is allowed! Can I shoot it from wherever I want?"_

"_Yep!" Mavis nodded firmly as she clicked her bare feet together. "Just make it in the basket! If you use those sticks to poke the balls out after making your shots, then you can go for a new round! My Uncle will be back from teaching his class in a little bit, he can help explain it to you. I taught him everything I know!"_

"_Yea." Zera rolled her eyes and tugged on Mavis's other hand. "And my lame dad can help. Come on, Mavis! I want to go before that new diner down the street closes!"_

"_Whatever, go on and enjoy your day." Yury waved his hand angrily at Mavis as she left the gym. He let loose a shot and air balled it by two feet. "Maybe we can try makin' a new ball without these stupid laces. That way it'll be easier to pass and shoot!"_

"_We could try the rubber ball idea I was mentioning earlier." Precht gave them a serious nod from inside the muffler wrapped around his neck. "The game can be named 'Rubber-Bouncing-Madness'."_

"_Eh, sounds like a mouthful to me." Warrod chimed in and looked at Yury. "How about Pass-ball? We have to pass it whenever we take a step, right? It's perfect!"_

"_No no!" Yury firmly stood his ground as he walked back to the top of the key from fetching his own missed shot. "We're sticking with Basketball. That's what Mavis called it, and that's what's going in the history books."_

_He let up another shot, and flawlessly made it with a glowing smile confidently eclipsing his friends. "Ah yea! You guys see that!? I am the BEST! Nothing but net!"_

"_Yes, we were right here..." Precht scratched the inside of his ear with a pinky. "And there is no net, it's a basket...I have no idea what you're talking about."_

"Oh man these guys are lame! _They_ founded basketball!?" Natsu was in tears laughing to himself as he tried to stay put in his chair.

Meanwhile Lucy took the remote from her father's desk and shook her head. "Shhh, quit being rude, Natsu! These people are the founding figures of the sport!"

The dial stopped on footage of an actual game from the old Basketball Confederation of Fiore game in X691. Mavis Vermilion was pacing the sidelines at a still very young age, and she still had no shoes while her team of rowdy Fairies ran up and down the court in dominance.

"_And what we have here is pure dominance by this basketball squad from the city of Magnolia! The boys from Oaktown have no shot of coming back in this much of a downhill beat down. We'll take a time out here, where the score in Magnolia is 12 to 8 at half!"_

"Hey Jude I have those papers you were asking for...oh hey, Lucy! Natsu!"

Levy McGarden had entered the office space from the main door as the three occupants paused their old footage in the middle of a game. Lucy turned to give the Fairy GM a warm hug. "Levy! Is everything okay with the little twins?"

"I guess." Levy rubbed her stomach, which while it was slightly out more than normal, was still nowhere near the intense size she was expecting to hold down the line. "Just a routine check-up. I just needed to drop these papers off for your dad."

"Thank you, Levy." Jude gave her a nod and raised a half glass of whiskey. "We're watching old footage of the franchise. It might do you well to sit with us and learn about the team you helped build."

"Nah, these guys can't help anything but making me laugh." Natsu took the bottle from Jude's desk and poured himself his own glass. "Might want to get out of here while ya still can, Levy."

The Heartfiia daughter rolled her eyes and stuck a tongue out at Natsu as she took Levy by the arm. "Come on, let's talk while I head to the bathroom. We can leave these two maniacs here to talk basketball by themselves."

Lucy led Levy out of the room, but Natsu and Jude were too busy lost in the old footage as Natsu hit play the moment the girls left the office. Mavis Vermilion was smiling with a reporter as she answered a few questions about the sport.

_"Well, I implemented the 'no running with the ball' rule to lower the amount of injuries happening to the players. When we started back in Magnolia years ago, men were just tumbling over each other; bleeding foreheads, broken legs, dislocated hands. A real mess! Then Precht and Yury developed the idea for a bouncing ball without laces, and thus here we are! A dream come true!"_

Jude had a smile taking his face while he grew lost in the old memorabilia of the past teams, while Natsu was quickly stunned by B-role footage of Precht and Yury playing at the end of the interview.

It was spectacular. They passed the ball along the court at least 12 times in a span of 30 seconds before driving it to the basket for the shot. This was nothing special in modern basketball, but Natsu was just so surprised that players way back in the past knew enough insight of the game to use passing to their advantage so much.

"They're using passing ta spread the defense out and wear down the opponent. They're trying to create openings for drives down low, and shots on the perimeter. This is incredible."

"Yes it is." Jude nodded slowly. "It's almost as if you've discovered what Coach Gaebolg had wanted you to see all along."

"Yea...especially from Precht and Yury. They can shift to any position, but they always return to their roots at the end of each play." Natsu felt drool running out of his mouth as he glued his eyes to the screen, and watched more trick plays between all five men. Yury, Precht, Warrod, Zeeself, and August. Such old men by today's standard looked so young and revitalized.

It left Natsu giddy with joy to learn more about his fabled franchise. "Play another one! I wanna see Gramps and those Fab Fairies!"

Jude seemed intrigued to watch that old footage as well. "Hmm? Well I think I can find their X745 win over Oaktown...let me see..."

Natsu watched the elder Heartfilia thumb through the footage as he smiled and poured himself another drink. "Heehee, look at us! Just sittin here on a Tuesday watching old basketball footage shootin' the shit! We're real buddies, ay Jude?"

"Hmph, what's that?" Jude was too focused on trying to locate a new video. "Oh yes, I agree. We have become quite the companions, you and I."

"REALLY!?" Natsu almost spit his drink out, as he looked at Jude from across the table. "I totally thought you hated my guts like that Loke guy!"

Jude stopped scrolling through his options and let out a deep breath. He softly turned to Natsu, and looked at the Point Guards forehead. "Natsu, I have tried to tell you this many times before, but I don't think you've been very good at listening...what you've done for Lucy over the past two years is something I could never replicate on my own."

"Seriously? But you're like a world-class billionaire!"

"I know that, but when your daughter loathes everything related to money, it makes connecting with her that much more difficult. But once I raised her, and I realized how similar she was to Layla...I can sense you see the same thing in my daughter as I did in her mother."

"Hehe." Natsu smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "What are ya sayin' there, man? Are you implying that we have the same taste in women?"

"No, I...oh never mind. Natsu, you've made my little girl smile like no other person has before. You've given my Lucky Lucy a dream come true by helping her find a new career she believes in. You defend her without hesitation from anyone who hurts her, and you both support each other like a life-long married couple even after only being in a relationship for two years total.

"I will never be able to thank you for all the good that you have done. I will spend the rest of my years, and my entire life's fortune trying to repay you for all the support and joy you've provided for my daughter. Whether I actually enjoy your company or not is no longer a fair concern. I must think with my daughter's loving forgiveness in mind, now. In fact, the only thing I have left to give you..."

"What?" Natsu leaned forward with more drool coming off his lip. "You saying that you can get me on that Olympic Team!?"

"Ugh. I believe that I've already done..." Jude rolled his eyes and sighed, trying for once to have a heart-felt moment with the stubborn boy sitting across from his desk. "Natsu, as Lucy's father, I will proudly extend to you an invitation to join our cherished and proud Heartfilia family legacy."

Jude Heartfilia stopped looking at the frozen screen, and turned to see Natsu Dragneel's full attention looking right back in his direction.

"If there ever comes a day where you'll need it, I will give you my blessing, Natsu. It's the least I can do...for everything that _you _have done for me."

* * *

**That was a little nod to _Fairy Tail ZER0_ for ya! Tiny clip of ol' Mavis and the young gang making up the rules of the sport. A real _Jane Naismith_ if ya ask me!**

**So Natsu gets his hands on some historic FBA footage, and Gajeel is starting to think more about Levy and her pregnancy than the big game. Not to mention Lucy getting another crack at journalism.**

**Then we come to Natsu and Jude. I wish these two characters would have been able to meet in the real Fairy Tail anime. I also wish Lucy could have met Igneel...ah well. More story tomorrow if I can muster it!**

**Until Next Time!**


	14. 14 - The Fire Dragon

**Author's Note: So, can Natsu use his newly acquired knowledge to his advantage!? I dunno, let's read and find out...**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Fourteen - The Fire Dragon's Chance

* * *

"So you're heading to Era for a sponsorship deal? That sounds pretty exclusive!" Lucy Heartfilia was happily sitting in the same limo cabin as her wealthy father, Jude on their way to the Magnolia International Airport.

Jude Heartfilia was reading today's _Magnolia News & Sentinel_ newspaper as he answered his daughter without giving her a full view of his face. "Yes, _Heartfilia Airlways_ are one of the major sponsors for the entire Olympic Games, and the primary airline for Team Fiore. We even have a hub in Era. I'll be stopping there, personally, to secure this deal for our new contract. Then I'll make my way around to Tenrou Island on my return for Team Fiore's deal."

"Oh, well I may run into you down on Tenrou, then!" Lucy proudly replied as her thumb pressed against her chest. "After reporting back into Crocus this week, I'm going to be spending most of June covering Team Fiore's athletes."

"Hmph, well how splendid for you, Lucy." He turned a page and read a new paragraph. "Just make sure you're not playing around with your fiends too much to ignore the other sports. Team Fiore is more than just the basketball team."

"I know I know..." Lucy rolled her eyes and looked out the window. "Try looking at me if you're going to coach me, dad. I've got this, it'll be total coverage for every athlete! The _Lucy Heartfilia guarantee_!"

"Hah!" Jude supported her with a laugh. "You sound quite excited for a girl who has spent her whole life surrounded by professional athletes."

"Well yea! This is totally different than usual. We're talking the best of the best, dad. Team Fiore usually ranks in the top three countries for medal victories every year. Other than basketball we're usually a shoe-in for any manor of competition!"

"Yes, I'd say you lucked out with your choice of coverage...the same could not be said for your mentor, though." Jude finally put the paper away, and crossed one leg over the other as he finally looked at his daughter with nurturing concern. "How has Loke been to you so far? Anything I should know about?"

"Oh, he's actually been pretty normal. He's a lot more mature than he was when we were dating, and although he does have a little bit of a raunchy sense of humor, he never directs it towards me." Lucy gave her dad a comforting expression. "I think he knows where my boundaries are."

Both of Jude's eyebrows raised upward. "Well, I suppose that's wonderful news, Lucy. I was worried you'd back right out of your big opportunity. Natsu and I were talking the other day about how you'd been handling the whole internship so far."

"I wondered why you were being so nosy..." Lucy gave him a wink. "Are you and Natsu getting closer, daddy?"

"Hmph." Jude thought about grabbing the newspaper for a second, read, but ignored it as one of his 747 airliners flew overhead. "Well, that must be the new model. I say those engines sound quite loud from all the way down here."

"Oh dad!" Lucy beamed with amusement. "It's just you and me! No Caprico, no Virgo, no businessmen, no other Fairies...be honest with me, you actually get along with him now, don't you?"

Jude let out a very long sigh, and looked over to the approaching Magnolia airport looming in the open distance. "Natsu is quite the people person, despite the way he might rub off on others. He genuinely fights for what he believes in, for Magnolia, Fiore...He wants to be apart of what you and I have in this family."

"R-Really?" Lucy took her long ponytail hanging from the right side of her head, and gently combed through it with her hands. "What was he saying? Something about the house he wants to build, or…?"

"Oh heavens, no." Judea roared. "He's put that pipe-dream on a lengthy pause after that whole arrest situation. Macao Conbolt and I talked him down from building that gargantuan mansion. No, he just seems very interested in us as a whole, and enjoyed the stories I shared with him of Layla and myself coming together."

"Oh, well that does make sense." She and Natsu had not talked a lot about the house, but she had the feeling that new venture was going to take a hit from her boyfriend's wild off-court antics. "He only knew his father for half his life. I guess he would connect with you as sort of a father figure. It's kind of cute, actually!"

"Hardly." Jude picked the paper back up, finally, and opened back to the headline of the sports section. "But, it looks like his problems with winning Precht Gaebolg over are no longer a concern. He's set to change a few names on the roster, and there are rumors floating around that the Magnolia Fairies will be supplying more Olympians this year than any other team in FBA history."

"Really…?" Lucy sounded less impressed by that fact. "I'm sure that wasn't just on Natsu's reputation...thanks again, dad."

"Hmm? I have no idea what you're talking about..." Jude gave a signal to the driver of the limo through the window to the front, as they pulled over at a side entrance of the airport.

The man got out, and immediately opened the door for Lucy on the left side of the vehicle, while Jude got himself out on the other side. The billionaire went around the back to get his own bags from the now popped trunk, but found that Lucy had beat his valet as she wrapped him in a great big hug.

"You know..." Lucy's cheek was pressed against his towering chest. "I regret ever saying you were the worse parent between you and mom two years ago...thank you for everything, dad. My internship, the work you do for the Fairies...for the way you support Natsu and me..."

"Lucy…?" Jude's hands had been up while his daughter's arms were wrapped around his abdomine. He lowered them on her shoulders, and gave her a calm smile. "Lucy, I love you, that much will never change…I will do everything in the world, with all the power I have, to make sure you enjoy life to the fullest potential."

He then looked across the road to another building connected to the main airport, and saw a banner featuring his very own Fairy team holding their new FBA trophy for the year, and centered on the advertisement was none other than the toothy grin of #00, _Natsu Dragneel_.

Jude felt an unusual smile cross underneath his mustache as he gave himself a laugh. "And I don't think I will have to work alone on that account...you are surrounded by people that love you, every day. Remember that, my dear."

"I...I will..." Lucy felt an unwanted tear run down her cheek as she continually heard her father talking with so much approval for her new relationship, despite not being able to completely read his mind. "Stay safe, and please congratulate Natsu when you get to Tenrou! That_ is_ if he makes the team at all."

"I absolutely will." Jude let Lucy release the hug as he readjusted his suit jacket. "I'll make sure to celebrate _all_ my players. Take care, my dear, and I'll see you when I return."

She waved to him goodbye as he made his way for a second private car ride, then Lucy found her own bags as she made way for the _Heartfilia Airlways _terminal for her first-class flight to Crocus to return back to her internship and mentor.

* * *

The next day, Natsu Dragneel stood on the edge of the practice court on Tenrou Island as he and the other FBA prospects waited to hear Precht's announcements for that day.

"We will hold two primary matches, today. The first ten players will play two ten-minute halves, then you will be replaced by the next set of ten. If you do not hear your name, then that means either 1 of 2 things; you have made the team, and require no further evaluation, or you have failed to impress me or the rest of the coaching staff in some way throughout two weeks, and thus can bid this year's Olympic Games goodbye."

The crowd of players mumbled to themselves, with some voices over-blowing others. The Mighty Olympic Coach continued. "Some that will be called have made my first roster, but know that you have not officially made my team. This is where you must defend the reason why I chose you in the first place. Use this as my deciding factor for considering your name on my roster. For those who will be scrimmaging that failed to make my first roster...congratulations, you've earned another life. I suggest not letting the opportunity go to waste."

He stretched out an open had toward Erza on the left and shouted. "With Coach Fernandes, I need Sol Terre, Rufus Lore, Kageyama Katsu, Erigor Eisenwald, and Richard Buchanan."

The players who heard their names had mixed emotions. Hoteye and Sol looked rather impressed. Erigor, and Kageyama, on the other hand were both proving to defend their spots. This was also a large moment for Rufus Lore, who found himself challenging a recently injured Midnight for the starting shooting guard position on the roster.

Hades rang out again, this time gesturing towards Minerva. "With Coach Orland; Sting Eucliffe, Jellal Fernandes, Lyon Vastia, Gajeel Redfox, and Aria Sky."

This team had no one from the first roster, and as such all five members emerged forward with wide chest and very determined faces. The ten took the court, and all other s in the room waited for the positions to get set as a very exciting bit of basketball was being set for their view.

"Oh man, Midnight gets injured yesterday, and now we get a shootout between Jellal and Rufus!? Dude, who do ya think is gonna win?!" Natsu tapped Gray on the shoulder as they watched the scrimmage from a smaller balcony set of bleachers up top with Laxus sitting behind them.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Who cares? We're not out there. I'm rooting for Minerva's team, sadly, but I like her players better."

"Yea, nothing against Erza..." Natsu chuckled. "But she keeps getting the bad teams to coach. Hades must have more faith in her."

"Hold on." Gray looked over with a dazed expression. "Why the hell are you so excited? You hate watching other people play. He never called your name, remember?"

"So?" Natsu laughed hysterically. "He never called you or Laxus, neither! The big guy may have made the team, but that just leaves you and me to face off against each other in a scrimmage to the death!"

"Idiot." Laxus almost debated on moving. "I haven't made the team yet. I'll probably be playing in the second scrimmage. Only three guys on that roster are not changing, and that's because they went out to Era four years ago."

Coach Precht Gaebolg did not want to reward players who had been to the Olympics before with a spot on his roster just for that lone fact, but with such a dyer set of Games approaching them this summer, he found it quite easy to re-select Jura Neekus and Ichiya Kotobuki to his starting team. And although he was a rookie that year, four years ago, Bacchus Groh did reek havoc on foreign players with his bizarre style of defense that Hades had no choice but to retain.

Natsu and the others all watched the ball pass up through the air, and while Aria of the Heavens had been known for being excellent at snagging starting tip-offs, Hoteye was the one who came down with the ball as he passed it off to Sol of the Earth.

The fabulous francophile of a point guard ran the ball around the perimeter on the Rufus normally would have taken the shot in an FBA game, but when trying to show dedicated teamwork, he felt more comfortable passing the ball down low to a very valuable figure in the FBA, Erigor the Reaper.

The Reaper double-handed the ball, and went up for a shot, but received a violet swat from the Iron-hearted Gajeel Redfox. The great power forward from Magnolia knew exactly when he wanted to deliver the ball, and sent it to Jellal Fernandes. The Meteor Man had already made it down to his attacking three-point line, and sunk a beautiful trifecta as his team took the lead, and allowed Minerva to release a held-in sigh since the tip-off.

"HA!" Natsu clapped his hands together. "Oh man, if Hades was already debating on adding Jellal and Gajeel to the team, ya damn sure know it's happening after that quick turnaround!"

"No kidding..." Gray's eyes were wide open with wide acknowledgment for what just happened. "Maybe if they can do this, we can too..."

The game passed, and with extensive help from Sting and Lyon, who were starting to prove themselves as comfortable teammates, Jellal had a group-high 18 points, while Gajeel secured 12 rebounds and two vital blocks to give their team the obvious victory after twenty full minutes.

Then, it came time for the next match up. Hades let the men clear, then yelled out once more.

"Erik Cubellios, Totomaru Pyro, Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney, and Laxus Dreyar. You will play under Coach Orland. As for Coach Fernandes, it will be Natsu Dragneel, Hibiki Lates, Sawyer Flash, Ren Akatsuki, and Olga Nanagear."

"I'm with Gray?" Laxus felt an eyebrow raise, and Gray turned around from his spot at the railing with a look of surprise as well.

"Dude, looks like it. Pretty good team if ya ask..."

"OH YEA!" Natsu Dragneel jumped from the smaller balcony set of bleachers as he high-tailed it down to the court and grabbed a jersey from one of the current players. "This is going to be awesome! Finally!, me vs Gray and Laxus! Now I have a fire in my belly!"

* * *

Loke was eating out of a Styrofoam container that held extra leftovers from lunch earlier in the day, as he and Lucy just made it back to the FNN studios and offices. They were sharing his office space as Lucy was discussing her next assignments.

"So I was thinking about doing some interviews with each major athlete from all the sports Fiore is playing in this year, then we can pick the best ones out and see how they show up for a real story!" She was sharing her notebook of ideas with the rather casual Loke as he held her notes with one hand, and a fork with the other.

"Hmm? This is some pretty good stuff, Lucy. You have an outline for prospective interviews, and a timeline for completing the meetings? Nice work, rookie!"

"Ahehe..." Lucy brightly smiled as her eyes closed with delight, and her right hand passed behind her head. "Thanks, those are just a rough draft, though, so I'm open for any criticism...by the way, can you be careful not to get any food on that?"

"Ah, I have delicate hands, Lucy, no worries!" He dug his eyes deeper into her book as he wiped his face clean with a napkin. "Or have you already forgotten after all these years...hehe."

"Eww." Lucy sighed with a twitching eye as she leaned back in her chair. "Take this serious, please, I want to do this for real!"

"Lucy, I'm just messing with you! I'm only joking 'cause I know you're cool enough to handle it." He gave her a smile from the other side of the folder. "Seriously, this is top-notch work. The best I've ever seen from an intern. I may even show it to Stache-Face, himself!"

"Not a very nice nickname for your boss, Loke..." Lucy shook her head, and lowered her shoulders. "Honestly, you're making it really hard for me to read you every day that passes."

"What do you mean?" He put her folder on the desk, and put his hands behind his head. "You're usually not the judgmental type."

"I know." She hated sounding so rude. "But, you know...it's good to see that you've changed, even if you've kept some of you ridiculous personality."

"I can't change _all_ of me, Lucy." He looked happy to have such a relaxed conversation with her. "Besides, I _have_ seen other women since we broke up. You're not the only girl I've been with."

"Oh I know that much." Her eyes rolled, and a grin took he face. "So whose the lucky lady, now? A super model? Or maybe some famous actress from the west coast?"

Loke shook his head confidently. "Nah, I'm on a little break from women, right now. Tryin' ta focus on my career, ya know?"

"Wow, now I'm totally convinced." Lucy laughed several times. "You're not actually Loke. Aliens have come down from the heavens to kidnap you and replace you with a new life form."

He howled with laughter, and Lucy joined in as they both shared in the clever joke. Loke was always very flirtatious with attractive women, even so much that he's consistently been ranked in the Top 5 names of the hottest celebrities lists all over the country. She remembered one time when he was in college, before they dated. At 16, she had older friends on the college campus who told her about the girls basketball team inviting their opponents from one home game to the boy's team club house for a party; the _Hargeon Mermaids_. Loke apparently tried flirting with a very young and still very gorgeous Hargeon player by the name of Erza Scarlet at the time, and nearly left the party with a broken hand after giving up on getting her number.

Both before and after his relationship with Lucy, Loke always had a troupe of girlfriends consistently surrounding him night after night. It was obviously one of the primary reasons that she regretted ever dating him, but despite that fact, he kept things very exclusive to her during their time together.

Their laughter settled, and suddenly a knock fell on the door. Lucy looked at Loke with wide eyes, but his nonchalant attitude gave her enough comfort to know it was someone important. She unlocked the door for him, and in came the head of the president of the FNN.

"Leo, my old friend, I apologize for barging in here like this. I was surprised to find your door locked, and so many people wondering outside your office door."

"No worries, sir, but I don't think it's _me_ they're tying to see. I'm pretty popular around here, but I'm only batting for second when a 'walking news story' is my new intern."

Lucy fell slightly deeper into her chair. When you were dating one of the highest profile players in the FBA, and the daughter of a wealthy national tycoon, employees in a news center are bound to try and gather a quick shot of you for a camera, or interview for their own tabloid.

The network head realized this, and gave Lucy a nod. "Apologies, miss, but I have a quick matter of business to discuss with our mutual acquaintance...Leo, have you decided whether you'll be heading the table as out lead anchor this summer for covering the Olympic Games? As you are still a rather new face to the network, you could use the extra publicity for a world-wide audience?"

"Ah, you just want me cause I'm the biggest star here, not the newest!" Loke waved a hand and teased his boss. "Yea, I'll go ahead and cover the Olympics. Sports, beeches, girls! Whoops, forget that last part! Should be a pretty fun gig for me."

"I hope so!" Lucy was growing excited as she perked up in her seat. "After all, you are a former famous athlete, yourself!"

The room of three grew very quiet even for them, and as Loke took a deep sigh, Lucy found herself retreating back into her seat all over again. She had forgotten that although people in the network knew Loke tried out for the FBA years, ago, this was see rather taboo subject for discussion.

The network president laughed awkwardly. "Well, that is great to hear that you'll accept, but you'll need a few stories lined up for side coverage, puff pieces to help keep the down times full. I expect these written out in outline form by the end of the week. Consider this your own application for the role."

Loke took a sip from his water. "Easy, I'll start with that Fernandes wedding. First hand experience should help me win the audience's favor. Might even pull out some pictures I took with President Fiore."

Lucy instinctively rolled her eyes, but the FNN executive sighed blankly. "That is a good start, but we'll need more than that. I hope you can find enough action with our Team Fiore across all sports."

The blonde intern wanted to lend a hand to Loke, here. But she had no idea how to report for the other sports in Fiore, yet after suffering such an embarrassing social blow in front of the two news icons, she knew she had to step up here.

"Well, I don't know if you guys are following the Magnolia Fairies' media accounts, but the General Manager announced she's pregnant...the starting power forward, Gajeel Redfox is the father."

An even sharper silence took Loke's office as the two men both felt their eyes double in size. Lucy was only wishing she had a pillow sitting in the comfy chair with her as she tried to disappear from the world altogether in that moment.

Then, the president of the network nodded. "Yes, yes that does sound like quite the story! She did ask the Fairies to trade for Black Steel, Gajeel in her first year, correct? Perhaps she felt warm eyes for him all along?"

"Eh, well I don't think that has anything to do with it..." Lucy raised a finger trying to stop the moving boulder of news from rolling any larger into a lie, but Loke slapped his desk.

"My god, it's perfect! Such a warm, heartfelt story! Lucy, you're a genius!"

She felt her cheeks growing warmer than ever before, and noticed the network lead reach out to shake her hand.

"Splendid, what great work for a fresh intern at out network. Quite what I should expect from the daughter of a Heartfilia. I'll have you down as an 'okay' then, Leo? Take care, my old friend!"

The door shut, and Loke stood from his seat with two first raised. "LUCY! That was absolutely amazing! Incredible timing!"

"R-Really?" She almost jumped out of her seat seeing how excited he was. "Well, if I'm being honest I actually feel bad for mentioning it..."

"No, don't!" Loke grinned wildly. "Levy was the one who announced the whole story! It's not even gossip, but it is perfect for us to shed some light on, as long as Gajeel makes the team like you said."

"Yea..." Her head fell into her hands on her lap. "I'm already regretting letting that one slip too...I just get so excited when Natsu shares news with me."

"Ah..." Loke smirked with an amused realization. "I should have known he'd be your insider source...hey, three cheers for Natsu Dragneel!"

He raised a water, and watched Lucy smile in response as he drank it all in one sitting. She laughed brightly while letting her shoulder shrug upward.

"Sure, why not? A-As long as my relationship with Magnolia doesn't get abused from here on out, or anything...I'm not going to lie, I'm regretting mentioning it a little bit."

Loke never said a word. Instead he picked up his phone and dialed a random number.

"H-Hey, who ya calling there?" Lucy asked with a timid felling in her gut.

Loke titled his head. "I'm trying to get the president back in here. I know your success or well-being doesn't mean the same thing to him as it does to me, but if I remind him whose daughter you are..."

"No wait!" Lucy leaped out of her chair, and held the phone with him. "But I wanted you to have that story! I was hoping to make you sound like a good mentor. I-I was just being nice...I thought it'd be a good piece for you, without a lot of nasty undertones or hurtful gossip."

Loke froze looking at Lucy who held the phone with him. Her brown eyes looked like they were pleading with him at that point. He gave her a few slow nods, and smiled as he put the phone down.

"Lucy." Loke stopped her there as they both took their seats again. "I know what it must be like living under Jude Heartfilia's eyes all your life Trying so hard just to be noticed...if you ever feel like you accidentally leaked information out to us, or gave something away that you're not comfortable sharing...even if we're just talking and you let something slip...just let me know. I'll fight as hard as I can to keep what ever you want secret from the network."

He took his glasses of, and showed off his pearly, hazel green eyes. "You just have to make sure you keep a level head about what you say from here on out, got it? I can only do so much..."

"S-sure, right..." Lucy's cheeks were the same color as her pink Fairy tattoo highlighting her right hand. She had no idea what to really say about all that just happened in this short period of time.

Whilst being overly-glamorous in his youth, Lucy did remember one thing about her ex-boyfriend. Loke never took kindly to those who abused or took advantage of others. He was always very loyal to his friends back in the day.

She felt like giving him a true thank you buried deep inside her heart, but her phone rang abruptly to end the moment right there.

"O-Oh, excuse me...hello?"

* * *

The court at Tenrou Island was set for the second scrimmage of the afternoon. Laxus and Olga stood at center circle, and the other players surrounding the game were as ready as they would ever be for the final chance to make it on the Olympic roster.

The whistle blew, the ball cam up, and right out of the game Laxus towered over Olga's reach by a foot or more. He swatted it back to Gray Fullbuster, but Natsu Dragneel was so quick from his side of the court that he tipped it away, and took it right down on the attack. The others followed, but right when he got under the basket, Natsu dished it out to the far left, where Hibiki Lates was waiting at the far corner. He took a solid jumper from the wide perimeter, but watched as it trickled around the rim.

Laxus took the ball on the rebound, and shoveled it down to Cobra's hands, who took things slowly but firmly to his side of the court. Cobra scanned is view, but saw Natsu coming from behind at lightning speed as he gave it to Rogue down low for the go-ahead dunk.

Ren from the Blue Pegasus franchise ate himself up for not getting there in time, but Natsu gave him one pat on the shoulder as he tossed the ball to Olga. "In bound it."

The large oaf of a center obliged, and now Natsu Dragneel had full control of the court. He scanned everything in front of his view, and saw the small forward, Racer running to the low post. He did not like the match up Racer had with Gray or Rogue, but he knew if he got the ball into the very quick Racer's hands just in time, he'd make an unforgettable play to put his team in the lead.

Racer felt the ball trickle through his hands as it passed through, then it went to Gray's Fullbuster as he passed to Totomaru, but Natsu tipped the ball foul free to get it back to Racer for the revival layup and tie point.

He gave the other player a congratulatory high-five, but Racer was not too favorable in receiving the gesture. "Hey Salamander, what gives? You would have made that shot yesterday if it were a pick-up scrimmage? What's the deal with passing it to me back there?"

Natsu never answered him, and instead kept his focus down field. "OLGA, WATCH OUT! GRAY'LL PASS IT TO LAXUS AT THE SECOND HASH MARK!"

Olga the center took two blinks, then put himself in front of the right center hash mark outside the post. He stopped Gray in his tracks, and simultaneously kept Laxus from getting the ball. Rogue put himself open, but at that moment the Fire Dragon was there to intercept the pass. He pass it far downfield to a wide open Hibiki who made his jumper for 2.

Laxus shook his head as he drew in a deep breath. "This ain't gonna be easy..."

Gray scowled down court. "Nope. Get me the ball."

The inbound pass came down, Gray took it to the attacking key, and waited to draw Natsu to the play. He held Racer at bay, and knew by now that his opponent had the quickest hands or feet in the game. The only difference was, Natsu Dragneel was the only person who could match Racer with both hands and feet active at the same time, Racer only had the ability to shuffle one or the other.

Natsu never moved, and stayed guarding the zone between Rogue, Laxus, and Totomaru. Gray rolled his eyes and kept dribbling the ball. "Stupid no zone rules..."

He went to pass to Cobra, but held the ball as he rolled the rock past Olga's towering hands, and into the net for a high arching layup. Laxus gave him a high-five, but it was Cobra who back-pedaled with Gray to center court.

"Ya always this ball-hoggy when Salamander tries ta show you up?" He asked, sounding very annoyed.

"Only when I need to be." The man of Ice replied. "I know his game inside and out."

"Yea?" Cobra laughed to himself at that very moment. "Well at least Salamander remembers to play both sides of the ball...looks like he knows your game inside and out too, by the way."

Gray turned, and just as Natsu dribbled past his own arrogance, he threw it behind his own back, and then crossed back over to the left. He faked a quick Rogue out underneath the rim, but made no mind of the interference as he dumped the ball off to Ren who drew a foul on Laxus.

Ren took two, but only made one as Laxus and Natsu both barreled into the paint for the rebound. Laxus won, but the cost was worthless as he had no options to hand the ball off, leaving Salamander with enough focus to command his team.

"REN, WATCH HIS LEFT HAND!"

Natsu knew Laxus favored his left hand in offensive stand-offs ever since he broke his right hand to Olga two years ago in the last game of the regular season. He gave Ren this valuable piece of information as the crafty Power Forward from the Lamias stole the ball from the Magnolia center's hands. Ren wanted to be nice and give the ball back to Natsu for the easy dunk, but Salamander caught the ball in mid-air, then tossed it over his same shoulder to Ren's teammate, Hibiki for a fade away three.

Hibiki missed, and Rogue got the ball. Ren stood in bewilderment. "Wow, even I wouldn't have trusted Hibiki there, and he's on my own team."

"Yea?" Salamander ran after Laxus and the ball. "THEN HELP HIM EARN BACK YOUR TRUST!"

Laxus was no runner, and felt the hot-headed Salamander running at his back so fast that it seemed almost too obvious to dish the ball straight forward to Gray, who took the ball and slammed it in on his own at the other end of the court.

* * *

As the first ten minutes quickly met the break, and traveled into the next, Natsu Dragneel continued sweating and running down the court to win every ball that he could. He had 0 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, which matched his team's 18 points perfectly as they trailed to Laxus and the others 20-18. This was turning into a far more defensive game than the other, and made the players involved twice as tired as the final seconds trickled away.

Cobra had the ball, holding it with 20 seconds passing. 14 sat on the shot clock, and that was going by even faster as he delivered an unfair smirk to the defensive Salamander.

"God, is that the same stupid face you're going to have when your on the couch this summer in Jude's lousy mansion?" Cobra smiled as he dribbled the ball away from Natsu. "We all know you grew up with daddy issues, but tryin' ta steal your girlfriend's old man is a bit too creepy, don't ya think?"

Natsu just watched Cobra's beady eyes, and felt the sweat trickling off his own tired brow.

Cobra laughed in his face. "No comment? God, when Sting bashed your girl two years ago he got tossed into your team's bench! I get nothing? I thought we were closer than that, Salamander?"

"We are." Natsu shrugged, but kept his face split between anger and determination.

"Yea?" Cobra asked as he watched the shot clock hit '06. "Well it sure doesn't feel that way."

"Really?" Natsu asked with genuine emotion. "But I already know you're going to cut right with the ball like ya do every time in the second half!"

Cobra froze, and Natsu tipped the ball out of his hands. He broke the ball away from the Oracion point guard's grip, and chased in down like a dog to a cat. Cobra and the other players turned to follow, bu Natsu Dragneel had too much of a burst acceleration to beat at that moment.

Natsu handled the ball, then as he went to lay it up, he shouted back to his team.

"CORNER!"

The Salamander was already on the right side of the court, and he could see a few other shadows passing over his shoulder on that side. He twirled in mid-air, and launched it over his back, despite having a wide open chance at making his basket, and watched it land in his teammate's hands.

It was the Saber City Center, Olga Nanagear.

"YOU'RE NOT HIBIKI!" Natsu shrieked like a maniac, and watched as Olga smashed his shot off the back end of the glass, and let the clock trickle to zero as the two teams all threw their arms up collectively.

"What the hell, man?!" Ren laid his hands into Hibiki's chest as he screamed at his FBA teammate. "You were defending their perimeter, weren't you? And you're the shooter?! Where were you on that play!?"

"I dunno..." Hibiki's handsome eyes were pierced wide open as he looked at the other end of the now dead court. "But Natsu Dragneel believed in me to be there...even after I failed him multiple times."

Ren and Hibiki both froze soon after once they looked up at the score. A layup by Natsu would have only tied the game 20-20, but knowing the fiery Salamander and his desire to win, he passed it out wide to let his teammates try and get a 3 to win.

In fact, if one were to add defenders to the play, it would have been the exact same play that Natsu tried passing to Hibiki in at the beginning of the match. He was only trying to give Hibiki a second chance at the same shot from the start.

They both looked on as Gray and Laxus surrounded Natsu Dragneel with a supportive hand over his shoulder, and as the players fled the court for the evening, Coach Precht Gaebolg took his place.

"It should be stated, despite my rather infamous demeanor, this was one of the best classes of promising Olympians I have ever been able to witness. I thank everyone for coming out to Tenrou this year, and know that if I happen to be drawing a breath four years from now, I'll be happy to see all of you return for a second opportunity at glory."

The crowd of FBA players was dead silent, which gave the mighty coach more time to reply. "I saw several athletes step up today well beyond my expectations. I saw outstanding talent and righteous fury that will be used as great weaponry against the other countries in the Games, but most importantly...I saw young men in four different instances learn what it takes to become a team in order to overcome great odds."

Erza and Minerva stood with total silence, but despite wanting him dead during the biggest moment of her life, Erza Fernandes stood with a smile aimed at Natsu Dragneel during the biggest moment of his. He on the other hand, did not look very pleased with himself.

Precht Gaebolg had no emotions for anyone, and gave them all a final nod. "You're all dismissed. Enjoy your Friday, tomorrow, and I'll see twelve of you unlucky souls two Mondays from this weekend in June."

The members in group wanted to react differently, but suddenly all the men and women in the training facility found themselves united in one bewildered emotion as they all heard a loud noise coming from the back sideline bleachers. Just above the first row of seats in the training facility sat several flat-screen television monitors. These were used to show players in-the-moment highlights from other teams while practice was occurring, or to deliver instant live-action news directly to the practicing team if they needed to follow any big stories.

This was one of those latter moments, as all eyes were widely glued to the several TVs displayed above the court.

"_We've only just been here for a few minutes now, but the fire has been raging all through the past half hour! Even in all this rain! No one knows precisely what's going on, and we have no new information on any of the men involved in the crash as dozens of first responders flood the crash site! This is a scene straight out of a nightmare here at the world famous Era Oasis International Airport, as weather conditions continue to get worse and worse!_"

Theoretically, the entire FBA was frozen-in-time on Tenrou Island as all the allstars and coaches looked on in confusion and fear. Natsu Dragneel was too distracted with the way his team performed during the scrimmage, that he never even heard the TVs before catching the shriek coming from Erza's voice.

"Natsu...!" Erza stood still as Jellal ran over first to see what the matter was with his now sobbing wife. The players all turned, and even Minerva and the other assistants gave Erza Fernandes their full attention as she trembled with her cell phone loosely held in her hand.

Precht Gaebolg stood stern and motionless, looking at the TV like a statue, void of all life.

Natsu was the second to get to Erza, followed by Gray. All three men were surrounding her, but her hands peeled the phone into Natsu's as both her arms eventually wrapped around Jellal's firm shoulders. The Fiery Salamander had no courage left in his muscles, and no fire in his bones for this ominous moment as he held the cell phone receptor trembling to his wide open ear.

"N-Natsu...Natsu…"

"Lucy? _LUCY!_" Natsu Dragneel shouted so loudly, it echoed through the court, and alerted everyone in the room. This time, Precht did turn around. The Salamander now held the phone with two hands. "What's wrong?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"

"Natsu..." Lucy never even finished her sentence, and it sounded almost as if she dropped her phone and fell into the arms of a person standing with her on the other side of the wildly tragic call.

Natsu Dragneel no longer needed Lucy to tell him anything, though. The alert banner spread across the bottom of every TV in the room had already done that job for her.

**Jude Heartfilia: billionaire owner of family-run airline and the Magnolia Fairies, dead in fiery plane crash.**

* * *

**Author's Notes: So I need to be 100% honest with the audience. I have had the greater plot points of this sequel story planned out and written down in my story notebook since 2015, the same year I wrote the first draft for the first story _Hardwood Heroes 1_. I had written Jude Heartfilia passing away since way back then, and seeing how his business is in airplanes, I figured just keep it within the same realm. Hell, I almost killed him off in the first story, but decided I'd wait until the sequel.**

**Then, on January 26, 2020 the world was hit with tragic news of a real-life NBA star experiencing an untimely accident involving a helicopter and close friends and family. After starting to release this story over the past year, I quickly became worried that people would read this scene, and think I was being insincere to Kobe Bryant, and just mimicking his crash to add shock value to my sequel. Please note I did _NOT_ just write this scene to have a moment like that in my story. I genuinely have things planned out, and the reason for that is in the Fairy Tail anime Lucy never really get's to become an adult with Jude, he dies after the Tenrou Island arc. Naturally, I wanted this same parallel feature in my version of Fairy Tail, so it only made sense for me to write him out here. **

**That being said, I'm a millennial. I grew up in the 90's and 2000's. Kobe Bryant was my favorite player from kindergarten up. I'll never forget the way he revitalized the great Lakers-Celtic rivalry, and re-sparked the NBA until LeBron James joined my home state's team later on. Therefore I'd like to dedicate the rest of this story to the legendary #24 and his loved ones. You were one of the main reasons why I ever fell in love with the NBA all those years ago.**

**New chapter as soon as possible. Stay healthy until next time, my friends.**


	15. 15 - Heart of Gold

**Author's Note: Apologies for the delay, I've had a busy few days with work stuff. Anyway here is a very long chapter for you. Same thing happened here with the wedding, so I split the funeral into two chapters (memorial and the dinner afterwords.) BTW you may want your tissues for this one...**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen - Heart of Gold

* * *

Natsu Dragneel sat alone in the Magnolia Fairies circular locker room. The private cabinets dedicated to all the current Fairy players were well-dressed with red paint and cushioned fabric. The walls were mixed with white and gold accents, and bags were neatly scattered across the different benches and seating options over the Fairies' carpet as the great Point Guard sat alone on a bench with his head staring at his franchise emblem in the middle of the floor.

He was wearing a black suit and black tie, and the emotions on his face were all but gone. He was lost in thought by now, a rarity for the young passionate athlete. He had been there for almost an hour now, originally just in the changing room to switch into a black suit, but now he found himself trapped in thought as nothing was able to shake him from the moment.

Except for one outside force, dedicated more than most others to shake Natsu from his grumpy attitude.

"Hey, man. We've been waiting for ya upstairs."

Gray Fullbuster stood in the doorway as he leaned on the frame and looked down at his rising team leader. The Small Forward had no idea what to make of the sight before him, and prayed that the pink-haired smart mouth would find something to say on his own without a second hand.

Natsu never did. Gray actually had to make a move to walk through the cluttered Fairy locker room and sit down next to the all-star point guard.

"Man, I thought you were the only guy who decided to change here in the arena...look at all these bags! The whole team must have shown up!"

Natsu never budged.

Gray looked at him to his right, and sighed deeply. His own bag was sitting in front of his #04 locker as even he found time to get changed down here in the hallowed crypts of a locker room. Gray finally let nature take its course and let the silence take over the abundant space.

The two Fairies sat in total silence for the betterment of two minutes before one of them broke out in a noise.

"You remember the pre-game to the college finals?" Natsu was the first to break it as he looked at the ceiling.

Gray looked at Natsu and cracked a smile. "Of course! You, me, Haru, Shiki, Aki, Weis as the back up...the old Geezer coaching us all the way."

Natsu nodded. "I hated that game. I fucking hated that game, Gray. I only scored 25. Haru outscored me, man!"

His hands were closed together between his knees, but Natsu broke his linked fingers from one another as he put and arm around Gray with a laugh. Gray took the gesture, and smiled back. "Natsu you had a triple-double that game, and almost won the whole thing for us!"

Yea..." Natsu sighed. "I can never forgive Sting for that. He's the reason why I wanted to win the last two titles."

"Well," Gray honestly admitted. "You and Sting decided to bury the hatchet, plus...an FBA title is way more impressive than the National title game in college. We have two under your belt, now! Not to mention you're the league MVP."

"I guess." Natsu bobbed his head up and down. "A player can go their whole career, 15 or 20 years fighting for an FBA trophy. You only have 4 shots at the college title."

They both froze again, and Natsu was the first to break.

"I had strength that day, Gray. I don't think I have the strength to go into this."

"Natsu..." Gray leaned back, and brought his hands together. "You have your own way of dealing with this. That's cool, and we're all okay with it, but...you have to go up there to support the people you love, because they may not be as strong as you are."

More silence passed, and now Gray Fullbuster found a moment to stand from his seat, and wondered over to the main door. He lowered his head, then looked out into the hallway.

"Or, ya know, stay in here and think of random crap by yourself. See how far that gets ya, today. Just think about her sitting alone up there too, while you're at it."

Natsu Dragneel nodded very slowly, then quickly. He reached into his duffel bag, and looked up at Gray.

"Fine, but I'm not going to do this one my own. Text Laxus for me."

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia had both of her hands together as she stood at the center of the South Gate Arena's main lobby, one of the same rooms she spent the other day running around with Natsu in for his research into the sport of basketball. The white collar on her undershirt was high, and the length of her conservative black dress went just past her knees. Her eyes were glued to the floor for most of the past hour, and as all the other big names in the old Kingdom of Fiore poured into the arena, she stood with a close group of friends near the main entrance into the coliseum dome.

A parade of famous names and new media members tried flooding the arena grounds, but everything was very carefully screened by Caprico and the other names in the Heartfilia Empire.

The mourning daughter found herself with wonderful company, though. Lucy felt the arms of Juvia wrapped around her waist as she stood with her, Levy, Gajeel, Erza and Jellal. The group stood very silent by the main doors while members of the Fiore elite passed by to try their hardest at sharing their condolences.

"I'm absolutely lost right now!" Juvia was sobbing comically into Lucy's blouse top as she held her blonde best friend with an open embrace. "The fact that Natsu is too emotional to come out and see people breaks my heart, but then Gray demonstrates pure brotherhood to go and fetch him for the rest of us… it is truly a brotherly romance come-to-life!"

Lucy did not reply, but she did show off a tiny smile as the others laughed around her. Levy spoke for her silent blond best friend. "I'm not sure that's the right way to put it, Juvia, but that is a pretty creative imagination you have there."

"Their brotherhood does go way back, doesn't it." Erza stared at the floor with her usual calm emotions. She had an arm around Jellal's waist, and used her other hand to wipe away a tear from under her eye.

"I'd say I never thought Salamander would be the silent lonely type when he gets depressed." Gajeel ran a hand through his own black hair. "Pretty fascinating discovery if ya ask me."

"Natsu has always tried making father-son relationships with the mentors in his life." Wendy Dragneel had come through the door with Romeo at her side. She joined in on the discussion from there. "This one took a longer for him to build though."

Wendy and Lucy hugged after she finished talking, and they both held it out for quite along time. Wendy choked up a bit as she tried holding in her emotions, but Lucy took one of her hands and rubbed her back in support.

Romeo hugged the grieving daughter afterwards as Wendy embraced the other guest in the circle. The entire group fell very silent from there as more and more public figures and family friends poured into the stadium's main lobby. Lucy barely recognized most of the faces, and any that she did was only the case because of their fame, and not any personal relationship she had with them.

The business personalities were the ones that completely eluded her memory. The FBA guests, though, she had grown to meet most of them at one point or another in her life time. Owners and managers from all across the league, and players and coaches from almost every team showed up to provide their condolences.

Some were no surprise, The people out of Saber City were some of the first to show up, followed by most of the members from Margaret Town. Oaktown's team, including the sore Head Coach, Jose Porla and the team owner, Geoffrey made an appearance to most of the Fairies surprise. Her old friend from high school, Meldy, Yukino, Sherry, and Shelia were intermixed as well.

Of course, the foreign expansion team, Tartaros, and their horribly infamous owner, Mard Geer, did not show up. Their respectful power forward, Torafuzer, did send the Heartfilia Family his regards in the form of a sympathy card. It was paired with flowers that were labeled to be from Tartaros, but it was highly doubtful the organization itself sent them.

The famous Warrod Sequen and Precht Gaebolg made themselves present, though. They each supported the tearful Lucy with a kind hug, and joined the long procession of people piling into the main court and stands of the arena. She also noticed the horde of secret service members surrounding the presidential family. Toma and his daughter, Hisui each gave Lucy a lengthy moment and conversation before finding their seats inside.

Mirajane and Laxus finally joined them at the main door, and the other Fairies including Freed, Bickslow, Jet and Droy followed him in. Lisanna, Cana, Laki, and Bisca came as well, and even past members like Max Alors and Warren Rocko came to pay their respects that day.

She had also seen Loke outside the arena on the way in. He was doing a live morning broadcast with his partner, Karen Lilica in honor of the now deceased business icon. She told him he'd be allowed it if he wanted to, and wondered if he would accept the gesture despite the sour relationship between him and her father.

There was, however one very bizarre attendant who had to be the last guest to arrive. It was now only Lucy, Juvia, and a few stadium ushers left in the lobby as the others had all gone inside to find seats. The two girls were waiting for their boyfriends to return, until Caprico opened the front doors one last time for a well-dressed woman wearing a large, puffy black dress accented with white frills and lacings. Long sleeved, and wide at the skirt, it was quite the dress to wear to a funeral of all events, even if its color matched the occasion.

This woman had golden blonde hair, like the color of honey. A black veil hid the top of her face as it hung from her dressy headband. Her pearly blue eyes could be seen through the mesh as they were sparkling with tears every step she took towards the two confused girls. They dropped down to a gaudy red bow around her neck that cinched her collar sides together.

"Oh my sweat, cousin! It's so good to see you, Lucy!" She threw her arms around Lucy in a dramatic leap, and sobbed wildly as the Heartfilia daughter held her hands slightly high. Lucy's words got trapped inside her throat as she noticed the woman's nose was leaking onto her shoulder as well as the tears.

"U-um, Michelle? I d-didn't think you'd be able to make it!"

Lucy's first cousin, Michelle Lobster, wiped away the tears underneath the veil as she flipped it up, and smiled widely for her relative. "Oh, don't be such a meanie to me, today! I know I told you it'd be hard for me to make it, but I went ahead and threw out my entire schedule! I didn't want to leave you here to mourn all by yourself."

"Um..." Juvia was now more frozen than her icy boyfriend. "Lucy, I apologize. Who is this, exactly?"

"Oh, sorry, Juvia." Lucy took the blonde woman's hands, but turned her softly smiling face to Juvia. "This is my cousin, Michelle Lobster. She related to me on my dad's side."

"Yes." Michelle nodded several times, and shook Juvia's hand. "It's so wonderful to meet you, Miss! I'm so happy my sweat big sister has such good friends to be with her after the death of Uncle Jude!"

"U-hm, big sister?" Juvia was even more confused than before.

Lucy sighed. "No, we're just cousins. To be honest, I thought you stopped calling me that when we were growing up, Michelle."

"Oh, you can be so forgetful, you silly goose!" Michelle giggled to herself as the tears faded away. "We basically saw each other so much as little kids, we practically _were_ sisters!"

"Right, but you're the older one..." Lucy sighed again, but let it slide. "I guess we can just leave it, then. How was your ride into town?"

"Oh very smooth, very smooth indeed!" Michelle leaned back and clapped her hands together. One of her arms was holding a very expensive looking black handbag with gold buckles and a metal ML stamped on the side. "I thought getting back on my jet after hearing about Uncle Jude's accident would leave me afraid of flying forever, but it was actually quite peaceful."

"I'm glad to hear that." Lucy rubbed one of her arms. "I'm nervous about hopping on board a plane now, too. I guess we can relate to that together."

"I'm sorry again." Juvia awkwardly added in. "But are you by chance _the _Michelle Lobster? The same one who owns her own clothing line?"

"Yep, that would be me exactly!" Michelle beamed. "I'm a fashion designer out of Crocus. Sadly, I've been away for several months launching a new line of spring wear, and I had several fashion shows to attend clear over in Alaverz. What a beautiful landscape that country is!"

"Yea, Michelle might be one of the only people in Fiore who could have challenged my dad's wealthy status." Lucy honestly admitted to Juvia. "She's certainly more famous. You're basically a fashion icon, right Michelle?"

"Oh come now, Lucy!" Michelle wrapped an arm around her cousin's. "Your father owned an FBA team. I'm not much into the sport, myself, but I know his name was very well known back in Alvarez!"

She took Juvia by the arm as well, and left for the main door. "Oh, let's all go in together, and mourn such a great man, Jude, together!"

"That sounds wonderful, Michelle..." Lucy frantically stopped walking. "B-But Juvia and I are waiting on some people!"

"Yes!" Juvia stopped too. "I'm also not very fond of making new friends with such pretty girls. I don't need the extra competition for..."

"Juvia? Lucy?" Gray Fullbuster was coming out of an elevator in the main lobby, and Natsu silently followed him over to the girls. Lucy took Natsu by the arm, and she smiled back to her cousin. "Natsu, this is my cousin, Michelle. Michelle, this is my boyfriend..."

"Oh, you are Natsu Dragneel!" Michelle's eyes turned to giant red hearts. "What a star you've become! I heard all about you when I was away in Alvarez! People had your jersey on every street I saw."

"Huh?" Natsu scowled back in confusion as he heard that fact. "Sorry, I don't really care who wears my jersey where ever. I don't like bandwagoners."

"Natsu!" Lucy hit him softly on the arm. "I'm sorry, Michelle. We're both just a little sensitive, today. He didn't mean to be rude."

"Oh, it's fine." Michelle let her smile shine back toward the two couples. "I'm sorry for holding you up, though! I'll let you all find your seats, and we can talk more at the mansion after the funeral."

She twirled around to the stadium entrance, and gave them one last look with a wide smile and wave. "It was very wonderful meeting you all, today! I hope we can talk more lat…!"

Her exit was stopped, however, as she smacked into the door that was shut going into the stadium seating. All four of the Fairies jumped with alert reactions, and Lucy let go of Natsu as she ran forward.

"Michelle, are you alright!?"

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine! My little nosy-wosy is a little sore now, but I'll be okay! I'll see you inside!"

The door shut behind her, this time, and right away Gray scratched his head.

"Well your cousin seems really empty headed, Lucy. She's pretty like the rest of you Heartfilias though, so you must be related."

"Yea..." Lucy sighed awkwardly. " She's ditsy and glitzy. "She is very pretty, though. She's even prettier than all the models who wear her clothes!"

"Yes, she is..." Juvia was now sobbing for something totally unrelated to the funeral. "But now I can no longer take you out in public, Gray...you're falling in love with every woman around you…!"

"No, that's not what I...ugh, come on." Gray was well past looking annoyed now, and dragged her through the doors. "We're finding Gajeel and Levy up front."

They left, and now Natsu and Lucy were all alone in the lobby. They held each other by the arm, and looked silently forward. Lucy let her eyes float upward to look at his. "Hey, N-Natsu? Are you ready to go out there? I-I'd understand if you weren't. We can wait here until you're ready if you want."

"Lucy." He leaned over, and kissed her on top of her head. "I don't wanna be selfish. You decide when we go in there. I'll follow ya whatever you do, today."

Lucy blinked several times, then gave him a firm nod. She kissed him on the lips, then led the two of them into the stadium's mid-level entrance, just below the club level booths. The lights were dimmed low, and people were talking and murmuring all throughout the dome. Season ticket holders for the Magnolia Fairies were granted seats in the upper section of the arena, and as soon as the pink and blonde heads of Natsu and Lucy were seen by the closest fans to their entrance, the entire upper level stood and clapped upon their arrival.

The lower levels that included businessmen, family, friends, and familiars followed right after, and Lucy smiled with a tear in her eye as she waved with Natsu. He never smiled, but he did wave as he felt her grip on his arm softly tighten for comfort after entering the ring. They found their way down the steps to the front row of seas that were circling the stage in the middle of the court.

Red roses and potted magnolia saplings were paired with lamps all surrounding the perch above the hardwood covered by a great black tarp. The spot lights from over head were narrowed on a single microphone-topped podium standing at its center. Three closed casket sat at the back end of the stage, each flanked with large portraits of the deceased.

The large hanging scoreboard of the South Gate Arena was the primary source of light in the stadium, apart form individual lights marking the walkways, but as Lucy and Natsu found the other team members at the court, the room turned all dark, and a flash took the giant screens on the scoreboard.

The footage rolled, and it appeared to be a very spry 22 year old Jude Heartflia in the year X770 sitting at a desk. He looked almost the same, except slightly thinner in the face, and more energetic than he was in the modern year.

A woman laughed from the other side of the screen. She appeared to be holding the camera.

"_And here's my beloved husband, working harder than he needs to be on this Saturday afternoon. it's becoming quite the routine for him these days."_

"_Layla." He stopped writing on some paper on his desk and looked at the camera. "What on earth are you doing with that thing? I don't need to be on camera, right now."_

"_Oh, but sweetie you're so funny when it starts rolling! I never knew you'd be one who suffered from stage fright!"_

The crowd laughed, but none brighter than Lucy as she heard her sweet mother's voice once again, lightly teasing her father in their youth.

_Layla started again. "I wanted to record your first day in your new office! The maintenance men said you could come back and move in on Monday, if you wanted to. If we stay out any later I'll have to ask those poor concession girls to help me make our dinner down stairs using their ovens!"_

_"I'm fine working on a Saturday, you know me, my dear. This is my first time in the stadium since the purchase went through...I just wanted to get things set up first."_

_"I see that." She giggled sweetly. "But setting things up should not mean trying to schedule the next year's games in one Saturday evening. You'll need to talk with the front office about that as well."_

_"I will, I'm just making some drafts. If I can align this away schedule to a more fluid format than it's been in the past, we may be able to save this dying franchise quite a bit of money on travel. Plus, if I partner the airlines with the team, we might be able to tear this old stadium down and build a newer, fresher arena."_

_"Oh, my loving Jude." She sighed. "Even in your new found wealth...you always have to be so thoughtful."_

She took the camera, and turned it around to her smiling face framed with blond bangs. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, bu the lower guests of the South Gate Arena collectively gasped with a very soft sound as they all noticed the same thing.

"Wow." Levy leaned over to her best friend. "She literally looks just like you, Lu!"

"Yea..." Lucy's eyebrows were frozen upward. She had seen pictures of her younger mother before, but never actually collected the similarities until now. The same eyes, the same hair, the same facial features, and the same smile.

_Layla took another deep breath before talking into the camera. "I'm sorry, for those of you watching this. Mr. Heartfilia does not wish to be disturbed at this time. We'll have to find him on another day when he's in a better mood..."_

The footage cut out, then it was quickly replaced with an older X771 broadcast from Magnolia Stadium. Fans were hollering like maniacs as several very old style graphics flashed across the screen and left the announcers completely stunned by the game on the court.

"_And that'll do it here in South Gate Arena! The Magnolia Fairies have just earned their first ever victory inside their brand new stadium! We'll watch now as the game comes to an end, and rookie head coach, Makarov Dreyar will proudly greet Coach Babasaama from Margaret Town as Magnolia wins it here 98-78!"_

The camera panned over to a club booth. Jude Heartfilia was standing with a now pregnant Layla right next to him. They gave each other a very long hug, and to their left was the business and family lawyer, Caprico, who looked to be the same age here as he was today. The fourth man in the booth was as tall as Jude and Caprico, but he had a full face of dark hair. His eyes looked narrow, and he turned to give Jude a hand shake to congratulate the owner on the historic win.

"Who's that guy?" Gray asked from behind Natsu and Lucy. Lucy leaned back to reply.

"That's my dad's old friend, Jean-Luc Neville. He's actually one of the team's minority owners, and he's the other CEO of the airlines." She turned back to the video a she continued whispering. "He's a very sweet man. I'm surprised I haven't ran into him yet, today!"

She the regret turning back around. The footage switched again, and right away her cheeks flared with red embarrassment.

"_Oo, happy birthday, dear! Are you having a good birthday today, Lucy?"_

_Layla was again holding a video camera, and she had the lens pointed right on a very young and bouncy Lucy Heartfilia, who was running around their luxurious back yard with several other kids before stopping to see her mother._

"_Yes, mama! I'm having a blast!" She shined with a bright smile, and leaped in the air with two hands held high. She was wearing a light pink princess costume, and held a sparkly silver wand in one hand as she readjusted her matching tiara. "It's the best birthday ever!"_

"_Oh, how wonderful!" Layla cheered back. "and how old are you, little Princess?"_

"_I'm 5 years old, mama! That's *this* many!" She held up five fingers with one hand, and shook her hand back and forth._

The crowd was losing it with joyous laughter, and Gajeel cracked up behind the blonde daughter in the front row. "Princess, huh? No wonder she turned out the way she did."

Levy smacked Gajeel on the back of the head, but Lucy was now losing her embarrassment as her eyes opened widely to see the rest of he footage.

"_Well I hope your friends haven't worn you out just yet. I have a surprise guest coming in any second now..."_

"_Well here you are. This is quite the party you've put on, Layla."_

"_PAPA!" Lucy lit up as the well-dressed Jude Heartfilia emerged in the frame. "You're back from the big game! Did we win!?"_

"_Yes we did, my dear." Jude was down on one knee with a colorful package in his hand. It had yellow paper and a red ribbon. He pat his daughter on the head. "And look, I've brought you back something from Crocus."_

"_A doll!" Lucy took it out of the box, and spun around the yard with her new toy. "She's perfect!_

"_Well, I'm glad to see you like her!" Layla leaned back to catch her daughter playing. "Just make sure that you take good care of her, okay?"_

"_I need to think of a nice name for her..." Lucy started to walk away from her parents to try and find her friends that ran off. She held her doll high in the air as she tried coming up with a new name. "Like Gonzalez!"_

The entire stadium erupted in a warm round of laughter as the blush of embarrassment returned to her face. Natsu finally joined in on the smiling, and turned to give Lucy a kind look.

"Hehe, nice name there, Lucy."

"Shut up...I was only five." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, but everyone stopped laughing in their section as Erza broke down crying.

"What an adorable little child...And that choice of name was absolutely perfect!" She turned to wail into Jellal's shoulder, but her Shooting Guard husband was too confused to know how to treat her.

The laughter died down, once the video changed to one final recording from a little over one year ago. It was March of X791, and the location was the great Domus Flou Sports Coliseum in Crocus, Fiore for the FBA Finals.

_"IT'S OVER! THE WINNERS OF THE FBA CHAMPIONSHIP ARE THE MAGNOLIA FAIRIES!"_

_T__he iconic voice of TV anchor__ Chapati Lola yelled into his on-camera microphone __as the Magnolia Fairies clinched their first ever FBA championship trophy. The stadium had erupted after the great win, while his co-anchor __Yajima just stopped and laughed to admire the scene._

_"I told you, you worry too much. The Fairies had this game won all along."_

_The Fair__y players __themselves were also enjoying the moment of glory, as __the footage went to show __most of the team tackl__ing__ Natsu to the ground in an all-out frenzy. __He had made the game winning shot over the Tartaros Devils in the most exciting match-up of the century.__ Jellal and Laxus w__ere standing around the pile trying to avoid the mess,__ but __they __were both just as happy none the less._

_The camera then cut to __Jude __Heartfilia, who __was smiling as __he__ quickly received a spontaneous hug from his young GM, Levy, and as Caprico gave him a smile, Jude turned to look across the stadium at the Tartaros head crew __leaving the stadium._

The memorial crowd back inside the modern South Gate Arena let out an enormous cheer, as visitors clapped loudly to honor the great X791 Fairy squad, and Jude's first FBA trophy. Natsu's eyes were frozen looking at the screen, and his smile was locked in an open wide form that could have caught flies. Lucy grabbed his hand even tighter, and kissed him on the back of his palm. The other Fairies enjoyed reliving the days of old glory as well, and right when the footage cut, a few lights re-lit the stage, and the voice of the stadium announcer, Max Alors took to a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, a very good friend of the Heartfilia family is here to help ignite this celebration of the great Jude Heartfilia. Please welcome FBA Commissioner, Arcadios Lotus!"

The fans, who were already clapping from the highlights, now stood and welcomed the FBA commissioner in a boisterous fashion. The basketball executive nicknamed "The Colonel", took to the stage well in a black suit and green tie, and both of his hands were up to greet the warm crowd from Magnolia as he put them both over his heart, the graciously took the microphone.

"I would like to thank you all for gathering here today, as we sit and celebrate the one team owner who owned more than just a franchise...he also owned a heart made of gold. This memorial honoring the life of Jude Heartfilia, and his pilots, Belo Ribbon and Aedo Cook, will be recorded as the warmest gathering in the history of our storied league."

The people were sitting now, but once again cheered loudly in response to his opening words.

Arcadios put a paper down on his podium. "I would also like to thank Lucy Heartfilia, and the rest of Jude's family for giving me this wonderful honor to speak today. As the easiest team owner in the league to work with, I found it very quite obvious to accept the invitation.

"However, a part of me did find it difficult to arrive at the stadium, today. Jude was only 46, and was still set to give us many years of excellent executive leadership as a shining symbol of success for this league. Therefore, we must deliver the same dedication that Jude gave the FBA, and each work as hard as he did in order to make our own lives as bright as he made his."

The mourning crowd accepted his words graciously, and cheered loudly again. Arcadios politely let them settle before carrying on.

"The Magnolia Fairies organization would also like me to announce that all ticket proceeds for their upcoming season this fall will go directly to the _Jude and Layla Heartfilia Heart of Gold Foundation_, which helps support breast cancer patients, and further research for treatment methods."

Lucy sighed after hearing that news. The foundation was founded back in X777, when her mother passed away with breast cancer at the age of 29. She expected her dad's name would be added after the tragic events of this week.

Arcadios went on. "Today, the Heartfilia, Ribbon, and Cook families are joined by friends, family members, and people in our great community who loved and supported them. Enemies and rivals of the Magnolia Fairies are here today to honor the passing of their good friend. Even the great Oaktown Coliseum hung black banners with golden hearts on their outer walls by order of their owner, Geoffrey Porla, and his brother, Coach Jose. A rivalry as old as the sport itself, paused to honor this great loss."

Claps and whistles came from around the stadium, and the Magnolia team all nodded unexpectedly when they heard that specific announcement.

Arcadios was frozen for a moment, almost lost by his own emotions. He brushed his face once, then leaned back to the microphone. "The Heartfilias are members of the Zentopian Faith, which reminds us that even with those that die, life should be celebrated above all cost and mourning. A select group of speakers will follow after me to remind you why the lives of these three men are worth celebrating and worshiping.

"To start, this first guest claims he owes everything that came after his retirement as a player to Jude Heartfilia. Please welcome six-time BCF champion, and the legendary former coach of the championship Magnolia Fairies. Makarov Dreyar."

The fans and visitors in the stadium were all off their feet, as the great Makarov took the stage, and gave a long hug to his FBA commissioner. He stepped up on a stool, and delivered his speech to the audience. Not many things rattled the old coach very often, but Makarov found himself pausing several times in his delivery as he recited old memories and stories about Jude to the others.

After him was the man mentioned by Lucy moments ago. Jean-Luc Neville, a business partner from college, and very old friend of Jude. He talked to the crowd about the time he and Jude founded the _Heartfilia Airlines_, and then gave away the story of how he introduced the very young Heartfilia tycoon to the beautiful Layla from Magnolia. Despite his obnoxious fondness for using the word 'actually', Jean-Luc left the crowd in good spirits as he handed the stage to the next speaker.

Levy McGarden talked about meeting him for the first time after being hired as the team's young new General Manager two seasons ago, and her relationship she built with the elder Jude after spending so much time with him in his private booth at Fairies games. She then thanked Jude in front of everybody in attendance for being the sole reason she met her best friends, Gajeel Redfox and Lucy Heartfilia. This made the blonde daughter cry uncontrollably beside Natsu as she smiled up to the stage for Levy.

Head Coach Erza Fernandes's speech was no less heartbreaking. She barely made it through her first words before breaking down in tears, then pledged to win a third trophy for the late owner this coming season. The fans liked hearing that, and the players all stood and clapped for their current coach in support of her new aspirations.

Following the brilliant Erza at the microphone, was the legendary duo of Warrod and Precht. They both thanked Jude for pulling their beloved franchise out of a spiraling free fall in the early X770s, and confirmed that Mavis would have been honored to know he was the owner of her proud former organization.

President Fiore even gave a few words for his old friend in front of the saddened Magnolia crowd. It was interesting to hear and entire arena full of different minded people cheer in unison for a political figure's speech, but the people in South Gate Arena knew the words that came from Toma that morning were all directly from his heart.

It was now time for the players to share a few words. People expected Laxus Dreyar to be the first to speak as the team captain, but a roar of applause followed Arcadios as he announced the next guest to the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen...please welcome your league MVP. Natsu Dragneel."

Lucy let go of his hand, and watched Natsu tug down on his scarf as he stood from his seat, and made his way onto the stage. The deafening crowd was now shocking the stadium as Natsu hugged Arcadios, then took the mic. Natsu now stood alone, and placed both hands on either side of the wooden podium while he stared down at the blank table top.

Silence filled the room as no words came from the point guard. Lucy's eyebrows arched downward as she looked one with a worried expression. Natsu's face was not changing, as seconds changed into a minute.

One man then yelled out from the stadium's top ring. Then more followed.

"YOU CAN DO IT, SALAMANDER!"

"WE LOVE YOU _DOUBLE ZERO!_"

"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"

A new roar of cheers came as people stood once again to support the frozen Natsu standing at the podium. He never waved back, or smiled, even if he did acknowledged their gesture.

He only blinked a few times, then let out a long sigh. Bending over below the podium, Natsu grabbed a scrunched up fluffy red item from below the podium, then turned around to the three burial caskets, flanked at their heads with large portraits of each fallen man.

Natsu kissed his hand then pressed it against the left coffin of Belo Ribbon, then walked over to the far right coffin, and repeated the gesture for Ado Cook. He actually knew these men rather well since they were usually the pilots that flew the Magnolia Fairies around the country for farther away games.

Then, he turned to the middle one, and held both hands to his side in fists. Lucy noticed he started trembling as his back was facing the crowd, and soon after both of her hands were covering her own gaping mouth.

Natsu took the red cloth in his hands, and wrung it out with a strong flap, revealing a shiny #00 Magnolia Fairies jersey with the name "DRAGNEEL" embroidered on the top back. It was his own home jersey, red with yellow accents and white lettering. He laid the jersey flatly on top of Jude's casket, leaving his name and number facing up. He then leaned forward, and pressed his hand against the jersey, failing to stop a tear from falling down on the fabric.

The crowd was losing their minds after the action, and yelling the name _Dragneel_ at the top of their lungs. He marched back to his seat at the foot of the stage, and embraced a now reignited sobbing Lucy in a long hug and kiss. Laxus Dreyar stood up soon after, and the rest of the stadium was now back on their feet as the mighty Fairy captain mimicked Natsu's gesture, and placed his #01 on top of Natsu's.

Gray followed with #04, and Gajeel with #10. Jellal came after that with his #11, and eventually Bickslow, Freed, Jet and Droy joined as all the jerseys for each Fairy team member now laid draped over the fallen Jude's coffin. Guests somehow never lost their loud voice as the upper row of fans all chanted "MAGNOLIA" at the top of their lungs. They each held out a pointed index finger and their thumbs extended in an L-shape, as that was a common gesture seen at Magnolia Fairies games when the team was truly dominating their opponent. The lower bowl joined as well, and soon the entire stadium was honoring the three passed men in the same fashion.

After the jersey demonstration, the wives and family members of the pilots spoke. The Ribbon and Cook families were thankful that Jude was such a loving boss for the two pilots, and affirmed how proud they were that their families were linked with one another in employment.

Then, it was her turn. Arcadios was back at the microphone, but he took a deep breath before relinquishing control of the podium for the final time.

"And now, I'd like to introduce you to the lovely lady who organized this entire event for us. Jude Heartfilia was a businessman by heart, but he kept his social life very private. He was not a man who enjoyed large crowds or gatherings such as this. That being said, his daughter knew the fans and people of Magnolia needed her family's support on this day just as much as she needed there's. She is one of the most inspirational young spirits I've personally had the chance to ever meet. Please welcome, Jude's loving daughter, Lucy Heartfilia."

The crowd, who was now quite used to rising to their feet in honoring the guests, today, found it very easy to stand once again as the young Lucy stepped up to the stage, and embraced the FBA Commissioner. Arcadios held her in a lengthy hug, and let Lucy break off on her own as she cleared he hair from in front of her face, and stood at the wooden podium.

She pulled out a folded piece of paper, but her hands were soaking wet with tears, and now the girl felt very nervous trying not to smear her ink. Finally, she laughed to herself, and slid the paper onto the small table top.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming out here, today. I knew my father had a huge impact on the world around him, but seeing all the guests here today makes me truly understand how many people care about him. My father...my father..."

Lucy's hands were holding the corners of her paper down. She caught a breath that was stuck in her throat, then tried smoothing out the paper again. She found two tears had fallen over her words during the whole situation, then tried smearing them away as several more fell down to the paper, making even more of a mess. This left her in a long pause to try and collect herself, until the crowd roared around her in support.

"WE LOVE YOU, LUCY!"

"YOU'RE THE FAIRIES' NUMBER ONE FAN!"

"TELL US YOU'RE THE NEW OWNER! _PLEASE!_"

That last one made people laugh, and even caught Lucy in a smile as she raised a hand to collect her sobbing. "Now hold on, t-that's a lot of pressure! Ahehe..."

The clapping and laughter faded out, and Lucy took two very deep breathes, and locked her eyes down to Natsu looking right up back at her. She then continued in her speech.

"The first people I'd like to thank are Belo and Ido's families. My dad loved his employees like his own family, and those were two of his favorite men to be around. There's a reason they would take cross-country trips in his business jet just the three of them. They were two rare people that really brought an honest moment out of my father like no one else. The world of flight may have lost an important businessman, this week, but it also lost the best two pilots in all of Earth-Land.

"I'd also like to thank all of the people that spoke up here today. Coach Dreyar...my father once told me that he hired you not to coach the Fairies, but to coach him as a new team owner. Even at 46, he looked to you as a mentor in life. Levy McGarden...daddy said you were the biggest piece to the puzzle for the Fairies' first title win. He always said Magnolia had the best players, coaches, and front office. Erza, you probably remember the press conferences when Coach Dreyar officially announced his retirement from coaching, last summer. The first thing my dad did was reassure the reporters that he was more than satisfied with the new coaching staff taking the reins.

"Jean-Luc, you helped found a company with my father, introduced my parents to one another, then you were the best man at his wedding. You were Jude's favorite co-pilot in life. I know _Heartfilia Airlines_ will fly even higher than before with you as their pilot, now.

"To our team captain, Laxus Dreyar, and the Fairy Team, and all my friends in and around the organization. I love you all, and I know tomorrow will be just as bright as today knowing that you have my back everywhere I go...

"Natsu Dragneel...I love you so much...my dad...my dad loved you too. He was always careful with people getting too close to our family, but I know after the past two years, he gladly welcomed you into our family with open arms, and a kind smile. And I know for a fact that I don't even have to say...mom would have loved you too.

"And now, to share what I know about my father with all of you...Jude Heartfilia was a stern figure. He was a fierce competitor both in the world of business and basketball. His sense of competition always came with his family in mind, first. He loved his family, the name Heartfilia was the proudest badge he wore. I also know, despite our inseparable relationship, I will always be the second person Jude Heartfilia loved the most. I'm happy with that thought, too...my dad loved my mom more than he ever knew, himself. When we'd sit around as a family, on rare nights when we'd all be home at the house, she was his focus. He always spent those nights looking at and admiring my mother. He built a billion-jewel company for her, then bought her a professional basketball team to honor their young marriage to one another.

"My father always wanted me to go into business, but he knew I hated money. He would always tell me he'd fight with me until I accepted his decision, and I would always tell him I'd study business if he ever shaved his ridiculous mustache. When he'd head to his bathroom to grab the trimmers, you could always hear me yelling down the halls that I'd still never do it. Eventually, his love for me overshadowed his desire to see me in his own field of work. Once I got into my journalism courses, he became my biggest fan. He ordered all the local broadcasting agents who worked on Fairies games to give me private lessons and tutor sessions on all the equipment and field trades, but it was the conversations with them that helped me the most.

"He also loved the Magnolia Fairies. He always liked to remind me, despite me being a super nerd for the franchise, that he knew more about them than I did. We'd quiz each other, and sure enough I'd lose. The airline was his business, but the Fairies were his hobby...his real passion. I think it was because the Fairies always reminded him of mom. His favorite activity would be to lock himself away in his office in the stadium, and watch old footage of Magnolia playing while he drank a glass of aged liquor. Sometimes he'd invite Makarov, sometimes Levy and Erza, the last time he did it was with Natsu and me. He told us everything he knew, and explained how his love for my mother turned into an undying love for the sport and team.

"Dad...daddy..." Lucy Heartfilia had lost track of the time ever since she started speaking. The stadium remained quiet as the poor girl mustered her own courage to get through her words, and sign off on this deep celebration of lost life.

"You always c-called me 'Lucky Lucy'. You said it was because of my last name...but I think it was bec-cause I had you and mom as my parents growing up. The last thing you said to me, the day you passed away, was that you were p-proud of me, and that you loved me...well...goodbye daddy...I love you too."

* * *

**So I really struggled writing the social moments of this chapter. At weddings you try to have as many bubbly conversations as possible, and I did this with Natsu at the reception. But at funerals you never really want to talk at all. I mimicked this in the beginning by having Lucy just flash through all the lobby conversations, with the exception of...**

**Michelle! The ditsy, food loving doll-woman that became Lucy's best friend in the anime arc Key of the Starry Heavens! She happens to be her cousin in this world, but we'll get more of her next chapter. Maybe more Jean-Luc (another Key of the Starry Heavens character) and Loke in the next chapter too...**

**This was a very sad one. Something a little lighter next time!**


	16. 16 - Complicated Relationships

**Author's Note: Apologies for the delay! I took a break from the computer over the weekend, then had a little brain fart when starting this chapter. I got through it, eventually though! I also binge-watched the anime "Rising of the Shield Hero." I didn't necessarily love it, but I did enjoy it thoroughly. I'll be watching S2 when it comes out eventually!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Sixteen - Complicated Relationships

* * *

The Heartfilia Mansion was a mildly somber place on the evening of the funeral reception. While the people who ventured in and out of the manor doors that night were the only light the mourning Heartfilia estate saw that day, the time that passed by remained kind to no man or woman involved as the sun set down past the horizon.

Conversations struck up between guests and friends of the late Jude Heartfilia, but few could take traction as every member of the evening performed their own mental march through the long road, just to make it to the next day.

Lucy Heartfilia was sitting at a patio table circled by four chairs, including her own, as people passed by in and out of the house. It was still noisy, with guests all around the back patio, the softly lit yardspace, and inside the kitchen and foyer of the house. The sky was orange blazed with a blue trim as the sun rolled past the trees beyond her expansive backyard. Her hands were in her lap, and her head was tilted down as her company changed periodically throughout the reluctantly festive night.

The only thing that never changed, though, was Natsu Dragneel sitting by her side. The couple never got up for hours as people passed by them in and out of the house, and around the backyard grounds trying to mingle with other funeral guests. The pool was open, but no one swam. The bar was open, but only half the guests drank.

Lucy had a full glass of water sitting in front of her at the table. Natsu's highball glass of liquor was empty, but he only felt like drinking one, tonight, as the emotionally struck couple trudged through the endless conversations with people at the table.

"Oh my, this is a really good beef cutlet with a soy sauce glaze! The green sprouts and roasted potatoes on the side make the taste in my mouth explode even better!" Michelle Lobster was sitting across from Lucy at Natsu's left-hand side as she scarfed down freshly warmed food from the banquet. The rich fashion icon leaned back, and forfeit her appetite as she tossed her napkin on the table. "I think I might have filled my tummy for the next three days on that meal!"

"Yea…?" Lucy sighed down to her front. "Knowing you, a second wave will awaken around the stroke of midnight...it really is good to see you here, Michelle. I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Awe, I really feel the same way, Lucy!" Michelle beamed from across the table as she clutched a glass of red wine. "It's a little more adult, tonight, but this reminds me of the times we used to play around in the back yard together."

"Really?" Gray Fullbuster sat in the fourth chair as he leaned over to one side, and rested his cheek on his fist. "You guys sound like pretty close cousins. More close than I am to my own!"

He had looked at Natsu to try and gather a fellow response, but the Dragneel point guard had been very quiet the entire night. His eyes were locked on the table, and his lips were frozen together.

Michelle tried answering Gray's curiosity. "Oh yes! Lucy and I were always running around this yard together as children, much more than we ever did at my house growing up!"

"That is true." Lucy nodded. "I always liked visiting your family's house, too. It was right in the middle of the country side. A beautiful plantation as far as the eye could see."

Gray decided to ignore Natsu, and instead chose to share the remainder of the conversation with Michelle and Lucy. "No kidding. I grew up with an FBA hall-of-famer as my dad, but I never experienced houses like this one, or the one you grew up with, Michelle. You guys probably spent days playing around with each other."

"Yes, we sure did!" Michelle cooed. "We would always chase each other around my farms, go swimming in Lucy's pool, sing music to the grown-ups in the foyer for holidays...one time we even put on a fashion show with home-made clothing we crafted out of nothing but paper and old fabrics."

"I remember that..." Lucy's hand went behind her head. "I guess that's where you got your taste for designing from."

Michelle nodded rapidly. "And I'll always remember the best nights at the Heartfilia's house were when the Fairies were on TV. Uncle Jude would be away. Lucy and I would curl up with Auntie Layla on the couch, and we'd scream and shout like brats watching those fairies lose every game."

"We did do that." Lucy's head lowered a few degrees. "Mom smiled the whole way through each and every night. It was always funny to greet dad the next day he came home. I'd try to tell him everything I saw on TV, and he'd just smile and pat me on the head."

Gray laughed calmly. "Well look at you two. The two youngest fairy fans of the modern era."

Michelle shook her head in response. "No, I just liked rooting with Lucy at all the goofy plays and such. I can't stand the sport of basketball...but I loved it for Uncle Jude and sweet sister Lucy..."

The table grew quiet, and as the four acquaintances all paused in their own manner, Michelle pressed he table's edge with two hands and gently pushed her chair outward.

"Well, I must be going! I need to catch a flight to Crocus before tomorrow morning. I have a big meeting with a new partnership."

"O-oh." Lucy felt and abrupt bit of air pass through her voice. "Well i-it was nice of you to come by and see us." Lucy got up, and walked around her boyfriend as she hugged her long-lost cousin. "Please travel safely, Michelle. And don't hesitate to call me or get in touch!"

"Oh the same goes for you too, Lucy! I'll keep an eye out for your rise to fame as a new reporter!" Michelle had tears running out of both her eyes and her nose as she wrapped her arms violently around her younger cousin's body. Gray felt shocked to see the change in emotion from across the table, while Natsu never turned around to look at either girl hugging behind his head.

Lucy laughed as she rested her chin on Michelle's shoulder. "I'll have a heck of a time trying to catch you in the world of fame! But maybe if I end up running this FBA team like everybody's asked me to, I can get your company to make us some newly sponsored gear!"

"Ahehe..." Michelle wobbled away from the three and over to the doors of the house flanked by two of her own assistants. "That would be quite the project for me and my company..."

Lucy wanted to laugh, but she felt her breath being used for a sigh instead as she and Gray awkwardly watched Michelle hit her head on the door frame leaving the back yard, and settle into the arms of her bodyguards as they escorted her peacefully out of the house.

Natsu never blinked. He just watched her leave.

"So..." Gray's eyebrow went up as he turned to his good friend. "You might be owning the team, after all?"

"Ugh..." Lucy growled to herself as she retook her chair. "Don't get your hopes up! I'm not a business person. I'm worried if I decided to own the team it would ruin the sport for me altogether."

"That makes sense." Gray responded as he stood by. "Basketball's been your passion since growing up, it seems. It'd stink ta see you lose the interest at such a young age."

"OH GRAY, MY DARLING! WHERE, OH WHERE CAN I FIND YOU!?"

His head lowered well past his shoulders as Lucy laughed into her curled up hand. "Sounds like somebody's wanted inside the living room."

"Yea..." Gray rolled his eyes, and grabbed his jacket and shirt from the back of his chair. "I'm just hoping she hasn't flooded the room with her tears yet looking for me."

He left, and Lucy felt a drop of sweat passing behind her head. "He can be so thoughtful..except when he decided to take his shirt off in front of two girls he's not dating."

She turned to try and receive a laugh or comment from Natsu, but he never budged as his hands were crossed high over his chest, and his lower face was buried behind his patterned scarf.

"Oh say something!" Lucy pleaded. "We're both all dry of our tears. The least you can do is show the people here why the FBA loves Natsu Dragneel so much."

He froze, and looked at the door to the house. Lucy rolled her eyes, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "If you're staying quiet for me, I appreciate the gesture. But it's time to stop. I want to enjoy this night with you, Natsu. Try to enjoy it with me back."

"Hmph." Natsu grunt through the scarf's cloth. "I'll do it for you, but none of these moochers are getting my attention."

"Really? Not even an old friend of the family?"

Natsu's eyes opened wide, while Lucy's head sunk low as a new guest arrived behind Natsu, and quickly took a seat where Michelle had left moments before. Loke sat down, and crossed a leg over his other as he placed a hand on Natsu's knee. "Come on, you have the best smile in the FBA. We need some love to brighten up this silent night."

"Loke..." Lucy was trying to keep her heart-rate up to a normal speed as she watched Loke rest a hand on Natsu's knee. "We also need to make sure the party ends with no deadly catastrophes tonight as well..."

"Ah, I'm fine, Lucy." Natsu grunted again. "I kept quiet around your lousy cousin and that icy weirdo. I can let you talk with this jerk too for a bit."

"My lousy cousin!?" Lucy comically blurted out. "And what the hell has gotten into you?! The last person I would have expected you to want to talk to, tonight, was Loke...and Loke, I never even expected to see you here at all."

Loke shrugged. "Well, I still respected Jude for who he was, and how he raised you. And also, I can pick out a few other people Natsu would hate seeing more than me...I may be able to use this moment to score the biggest interview of my career."

"Forget it." Natsu howled back. "I ain't giving no one my time tonight, except Lucy and Wendy. Seeing how I haven't seen my sister all night, Lucy's the only thing I'm focusing on."

Loke sighed, and adjusted his glasses. "That's fine, you have no beef with me, Natsu. In fact, your silence will leave me with a perfect opportunity to brag on your lady friend here on how great she's been at the station. Her journalism experience has left her as a real hit among the staff!"

Lucy leaned back, and was quite relieved to hear him say that. She was worried that the boy's club Loke introduced her too would only respect her for her looks, but the station reporters mainly seemed to respect Lucy for her knowledge in the field, and her experience working with a professional basketball team for so many years.

Loke then gave the two a nod. "Not to mention the two of you are the toast of the world, right now. Seriously, if I were you, Natsu, I'd be looking to invest in some of Jude's old security guards to follow you around in Era this summer. You might be one of the biggest names at the Games this year."

"Oh yea?" Natsu interrupted Lucy's silent reply. "Who else is set ta be bigger than me?"

Loke let a long pause pass over the table as the other two guests waited in an uncomfortable silence. Loke took a swig from the drink he had been holding, then released a long breath of air.

"Let's just say this is set to be the greatest Olympic Basketball tournament the world has ever seen."

Natsu scoffed, and stood from his chair. "Sure thing, pretty boy. Lucy. I'mma wait til you're finished talking to your mentor here. I'll be back in a minute."

He left the table, while Lucy reached out to his disappearing body as it faded into the black of the yard. Loke shook his head, and the blonde daughter of the deceased replied. "Ya know, you don't have to try so hard to impress the guy."

Loke chuckled as he knew the cryptic meaning of her quote. He sighed again, the finished off the rest of his glass. "And you don't have to put up with his one-track mind...hit me up if you ever want help cracking the real Salamander, okay?"

"Wha-…?" Lucy watched Loke leave for the exit as she tried reaching out to him, then found herself sitting all alone at the patio table. Her hands fell back into her lap, and a few tears slowly formed underneath her eyes.

"_Why do I waste my time overthinking every moment of my life when everybody around me just breezes right by me…?"_

She wanted a sincere answer, but left the thought trapped behind her mind as she gazed at a candle flickering in the middle of the table. Her back slouched lower into her chair, but her ears perked up once she heard the loud voice of an approaching family friend.

"Lady Lucy!" Warrod Sequen stumbled over to her chair from the dark of the backyard lawn as his feet hit pavement beside her table. "What a wonderful sight to see you here all by yourself in such a fabulous mood!"

"Eh?" Lucy leaned up rapidly in her chair. "I-I'm not sure what to make of…?"

"Oh come now, the old fool is obviously joking around." Precht Gaebolg was following him as the two elder FBA figures stood by the table. "The man can't begin a single sentence without spoiling the sense of humor of those around him."

"True!" Warrod chuckled loudly. "But I do enjoy bringing a laugh to those who need one." He put his hands on the back of Natsu's empty chair. "We saw the Salamander walk away with quite the grumpy expression. We hope he wasn't making you angry, this evening?"

"No, no!" Lucy let them know very clearly. "He left to catch some fresh air by himself. Natsu has been very over-stressed as of late. I'm actually more worried about his mental health than my own."

"How thoughtful." Warrod smirked, and nudged Precht in the chest with his shoulder. "See, the boy really does use his heart one hundred percent of the time."

"True." Precht never budged. "But I'm more worried on if he's able to use his brain at the same time with his heart...a single-minded player is a dangerous thing to bring into a different level of competition."

Lucy's shoulder's lowered as she felt her own pride and shyness float out of her body. "You know, Natsu may be the most stubborn player in league history, but he's also the most revolutionary. He has the highest point percentage of any two-year player, and he has two titles, a rookie of the year trophy, and a league MVP."

"He does." Precht had no problem arguing bluntly with young women. "But raw talent is only a single fraction of what the game of basketball requires. Natsu Dragneel may be good, but he'll need to change his attitude if he really wants to make…"

"Sir." Lucy interrupted him swiftly. "I'm not trying to argue for Natsu's passion or heart because it really needs no discussion. The world has never seen a player like him, and Fiore will never hope to win if they can't fit Natsu on their roster."

The air grew quiet while the funeral reception roared on around them. Warrod looked down at Lucy with eyes of admiration, while Precht kept his fists crossed over his broad chest. He closed his single eye, and pulled something out of his pants pocket.

"A token before we leave. I'd prefer it if the Dreyar boy would read it aloud to the rest of your group, but I'll let you be the one to deliver it to him."

Lucy looked at the pale envelop with wide eyes, and received the gist as the two FBA legends left for the door. Warrod patted Lucy on the head as he passed by, but Precht waited until he was walking through the glass panels of her family house before leaving with his final remark.

"My final condolences to your family. The world of basketball has lost a true Fairy yet again."

"Mr. Gaebolg." Lucy never got up, but she did turn to deliver a beaming smile framed by two tears as she looked his way. "Thank you...for everything."

"Don't thank me." Precht knew what she was referring to, even though she never bothered to open the letter. "Thank your dearly departed father."

* * *

It was now several hours after the first ending of the funeral reception. Only a few guests remained in the Heartfilia house as Virgo, Spetto, and the other Heartfilia employees finished cleaning up the outside ceremonies.

Lucy sat with her Natsu on one of the expansive fluffy couches as all the other Fairies and their significant others joined them. Wendy and Romeo were sitting on the floor in front of Natsu and Lucy, and Laxus Dreyar was sitting across the room in a wide armchair and Mira on his lap as he gently opened up the longhand letter.

"What?" Laxus almost dropped the note and his girlfriend out of his lap as the others gasped, then he collected everything quickly as he tried to finish his thought. "This is the old man's final roster!"

"What?" Gray sat up as Juvia had her arm wrapped around his bicep. "What's it say? Who made the team?"

"Oh Gray, I don't know what I'll do if you're not on that list!" Juvia spoke with flashing tears rolling down her face. "I'd have to sue the government, or start a war in your name and honor!"

Levy slowly sat up from her seat, and held her hands over her now medium-sized stomach. "Seriously, I wonder why Precht would want to give us that, tonight."

"Who cares?" Gajeel had an arm around Levy as he rolled his eyes. "Just spare us the extra minutes and tell us who made the team. Then we can all start cryin' for the guy who didn't make it, together."

Jellal turned to his red-haired wife. "Do you know who made the team? Has he bothered to share the information with the rest of his staff?"

"No." Erza replied with a shocked expression. "Precht left us all with three separate drafts of his list, then delivered his final choice to the Fiore Olympic Committee. Their official announcement is set for this Monday."

"That's two days from now..." Wendy spoke with a look of shock in her eyes. One hand was holding Romeo's hand, while her other was wrapped around Natsu's bent leg to her side. She rubbed his knee in anticipation, but the other girl sitting next to the point guard looked on with a calming smile.

"I'm sure the news is good..." Lucy leaned her head on Natsu's muscular arm as she rested a hand on his chest. She was totally worn out from the long day behind her, but the girl was no longer concerned with nay other thought. "I can probably guess the names without looking."

Laxus shook his head twice in disbelief, then handed the list to a giggling Mirajane as the starting center took a long drink from his glass. The white haired beauty then made her announcement.

"Ooo, the Fiore Team will be stacked with Fairies this summer...all five of you made the team!"

"What!?" Levy's voice shot out first. "That's a league record! Five players from one franchise!?"

Everyone in the room stood from their seats and roared, or at least some just stood as Natsu's eyes were open, but his mouth was not. Lucy lifted him up to celebrate as Cana cracked open a bottle across the circle.

"Well let's have one last hour to celebrate! To the Magnolia Fairies rockin' this year's Olympic Games!"

Everyone cheered with her, then players went around to hug one another. Benchmen such as Freed, Bickslow, Jet and Droy all gave their congratulations to their fellow Fairies as the five starters all collected he news with different levels of disbelief.

Erza leaned up to kiss Jellal on his cheek, while he kept looking at Mira and the letter with clear eyes of disbelief. Levy kissed Gajeel quickly, then rubbed her stomach as Gajeel bent over to kiss that as well in honor of their future family. Mira had her hands around a stunned Laxus, who eventually grabbed his girl by the arms and dipped her for a romantic embrace, but not before the wildly happy Juvia tackled Gray to the floor to catch him in a loving scene of passionate emotions.

Lucy just stood beside a silent Natsu, and let one final tear roll down her cheek as she rubbed his forearm with her hand.

"Congrats, Natsu. I believed in you every step of the way."

* * *

The night had grown even later, and the other couples were slowly making their exits out of the Heartfilia estate and into their own cars for the weekend night to close. Natsu and Lucy waited at the stoop of the mansion while the other team members drove away for the gate, and they both allowed the chilly May wind to roll by their shoulders on that somber Saturday night.

"I think Wendy and Romeo are just gonna stay her with us, tonight." Natsu spoke plainly as he and Lucy waved to the others' retreat. "Hope that's okay with you and Virgo."

"Natsu." Lucy still had her head against his shoulder like a pillow as she breathed in the calm air around her. "If I get this house in the will, I'd let you and Wendy move in right away...stay as long as you like."

They stood in silence, and as the clouds passed on beyond the bright full moon above, Natsu spoke up to break the silence once more.

"Hey Lucy?"

"Yea, Natsu?"

He waited to gather her full attention before replying. "What do ya think I look like?"

"U-uh…?" Lucy lost her words for a moment, and brought her head higher. "L-Like Natsu Dragneel? I guess..."

Natsu blinked a few times. "Okay, so what does that name mean? Flashy commercials, shoes deals, bodyguards...am I really at a big enough level for the Olympics? Am I...in over my head here?"

"Natsu..." Lucy turned to wrap both her arms around his waist, then looked up at him as she squared herself to look in his grey eyes. "You look like the same Natsu I've always known...the same one who got drafted first overall in the league. The biggest name in the FBA."

She kissed him on the lips, and held it out for quite a while before releasing and looking back into his eyes. "You're the same Natsu I fell in love with...the same Natsu I'll always believe in. I'll follow you all over the planet to watch you play your favorite game."

They stood there in total silence looking at one another, until an unsuspecting Wendy came to the front door and looked outside.

"Hey Natsu, Romeo and I are going to go to bed...OH MY GOSH! You two are having a moment, aren't you!?"

"WENDY!?" Lucy and Natsu both shouted as the blonde Heartfilia heiress jumped backwards. "I-I had no idea you were standing there! I-I meant to shut the door and..."

"No, no! Sorry sorry! We're off to bed! _Night!_" Wendy slammed the front door to the mansion behind her.

Natsu and Lucy both sighed, then the blonde tried lightening the mood. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll sleep in separate beds."

"If they know what's good for them..." Natsu finished her sentence, and kept his eyes glued to the door. They would have stayed there, if it had not been for two abrupt car lights pulling up the luxurious paved driveway of the Heartfilia estate right at that late hour of the night.

"Who is this?" Lucy asked nervously. "I thought Taurus and Sagittarius were keeping the gates closed?"

"Stay behind me." Natsu stepped up, and put a hand in front of Lucy as both of them stood blindly on the steps to her house. Neither knew who the new car was, and both lovers waited impatiently as the lights turned off, and the front door to a very slick foreign black sports car opened upward toward the sky on a rooftop hinge.

"Apologies. I came to mourn the loss of a dearly departed friend, but I've had quite the busy day. I hope the family won't mind my highly rude intrusion."

The man stepped out, and shut the door as he tossed the end of a cream colored racing scarf over his shoulder. He wore a black buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and white chino pants that ended above his ankles exposing his sockless brown shoes.

Lucy's eyes were pried open with total confusion, while Natsu Dragneel felt a fire burning inside his belly as he let go of her hand and stood full-faced toward the guest. The blonde reached out and grabbed his hand to try and pull him back, in, but she also felt the heat coming from his now enraged body.

"Lucy Heartfilia. I really do want to apologize for arriving so late to the reception. I hope we can chat a little before you head off to bed." The man with the handsome length of medium black hair gave the blonde girl a soft smile as he stood still with hands deep inside his own pockets.

He realized she would not be making a reply, as Lucy looked to her boyfriend with two wide brown eyes that were about to roll out of her own head. Natsu Dragneel was fuming though his nose and mouth as he stood atop the stairs, and glared at his long lost sibling's approach.

"And my dear sweet brother." Zeref sighed as he stopped walking, and delivered a newer, softer smile for the ill tempered Salamander. "I'm so happy to see you're still awake too, Natsu. It's been quite a long time since we've seen one another, after all."

* * *

**Well that was a very odd night for the lady of the Heartfilia family. Michelle came and went, Natsu was stubborn as usual, Loke wants to help her with a personal matter, Precht gave his regards, and all the Fairies made the Olympic roster!? Oh how shocking and unexpected is this!? ... ;)**

**Yes, I know it was probably very predictable, but that's not the point! The story is more than that roster...keep following along as the boys train for one final month before leaving for Era.**

**Oh yea, and Zeref arrived to the reception very late in the night. Let's find out what he's up to next time.**


	17. 17 - In the Eyes of the Beholder

**Author's Note: New Chapter! This one is really bouncy over a few different scenes. Try to stay on your feet for all of it!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Seventeen - In the Eyes of the Beholder

* * *

It was a warm Sunday afternoon in the city of Magnolia. Lucy Heartfilia was sitting at the same patio table she rested at a night before, wearing a white and pink string swimsuit, with her waist and legs being covered by a light white wrap skirt. A pair of white designer sunglasses sat over her bangs atop her head. The blonde swiped through her phone and zoomed through her news feed with a thumb as she tried relaxing on the day after her father's untimely funeral.

Wendy sat across from her in a green bathing suit as she turned to look at Natsu and Romeo rough-housing in the expansive Heartfilia estate pool half way across the yard. Her blue hair was pulled being her head in a high pony tail, and a sigh slipped out of her lungs as she hunched her shoulders downward in melancholy.

"If those two break something, I'm really sorry." Wendy grabbed a a glass of lemonade in front of her as she looked at Natsu and Romeo throwing pool toys back and forth, trying to hurt each other in a very rambunctious sort of game. "Even if they break a window or something really expensive. I'll make Natsu pay for it."

"It's fine, honestly!" Lucy tilted her head, which was adorned with her usual long ponytail on the right side of her head. "I'm glad to see this place so lively the day after a funeral. Not to mention it's nice to see people actually swimming in the pool. I was worried it'd be empty for the rest of the summer."

Wendy nodded. "I'm surprised to see Natsu has so much energy this morning. It sounds like you guys stayed up pretty late."

"Yea, we did..." Lucy awkwardly replied. "It was a pretty weird way to end the night."

Wendy gave her older friend a second nod. "I understand. How weird was it trying to keep Natsu and Zeref from angering one another? I feel so bad that I wasn't there to help you out."

"Oh you don't have to say that!" Lucy answered back with a hand rubbing the back of her head. "I feel bad we never went to wake you up. It's not every day that your older brother lost halfway around the world decides to pay a random visit to his home country and family..."

* * *

_~Flashback to the night before, almost around the break of 2:00 AM~_

* * *

"_It's been quite along time." Zeref reaffirmed himself as he stood in the expansive horseshoe driveway of the Heartfilia Mansion. "I arrived just in time to say hello, Natsu, Lucy."_

"_You arrived just in time to say goodbye, Zeref." Natsu snapped back as he stood in front of Lucy on the steps to the house. A quiet cold air passed between the two brothers as they both collected the words of one another._

_Zeref was smarter, though, and knew he would not get anywhere with the long lost brother standing before him. "Lucy Heartfilia. We met earlier this year in Crocus. Late March if I'm not mistaken, at the FBA championship game."_

"_Y-Yea." Lucy poked her head around Natsu, and reluctantly replied while also trying not to make her boyfriend mad. "You helped me get into the arena that night. I guess I can thank you for letting me see such a historic game."_

_Natsu took several moments to blink as he collected that conversation, then turned around and headed for the door. "Fine. You helped Lucy one time. I'll go ahead and let you in for her sake."_

_The Salamander slammed the door behind him, leaving the girlfriend and the brother alone in the open. Lucy's eyes were wide like brown pools, while Zeref tried to hold back his own laughter as he made his way for the stoop._

"_Forgive me, but you might have to act as my interpreter for the evening. I only came to share a few quick notes."_

_From there Natsu and Lucy shared a love seat inside the expansive Heartfilia mansion, while Zeref sat in Jude's old fluffy reclining chair. He sat away from the back of the chair with perfect posture, and smiled gently at the two young lovers holding each other's hands._

"_Such a sweet couple. I'm glad the two of you have been able to find love in one another."_

"_Er, thank you?" Lucy replied to Zeref, but her eyes were turned to Natsu at her side, who kept his grey eyes locked on Zeref with every second that passed. She tried letting her blood pressure lower before making a further statement. "W-What brings you here, tonight, Zeref? I-I know you're old friends with my dad, but he never really mentioned you to me before."_

_Zeref nodded, and placed his hands together between his knees as he leaned forward. "Ah yes, I can imagine why he would chose to keep me a secret. To be honest I've known Jude Heartfilia for many years, now. He was a mentor of mine when I started my own business, and one of the few Fiore names I trusted in when making my own financial empire overseas."_

_Zeref lowered his head, and smiled softly to the floor. "It's a bit serendipitous how I managed to pass him on the list of wealthiest men on the eve of his death. I owe him everything I have in my financial name."_

"_Wow." Natsu scoffed as he turned to look at the fireplace off to the right. "No wonder it took me so long to win the old man over. You already had your claws in Jude way before I ever knew him."_

"_Natsu." Lucy pleaded mildly with a low voice. She had honestly been impressed with the way Natsu was behaving, but felt it was still her duty to probe the strange brother with questions of her own. She then turned to Zeref. "So you've been in Alvarez for most of your life. What made you want to leave Fiore?"_

_Zeref leaned back in the chair, and pondered that question thoughtfully. "Huh, well I guess a few things made me want to leave. I had an excellent financial plan established with the university in Vistarian...I had a gift for understanding technology and information systems…I needed to break away from my family in order to focus on my future success and future goals."_

"_But you left your family for years, without ever checking in!" Lucy shot back. "How could you be so preoccupied with your business life to ignore your entire family? Even my dad found time to spend with me after my mother died. He was a total mess. I was worried he'd become abusive or neglectful...he still managed to hold our relationship in his heart, though. But you left on totally peaceful terms."  
_

"_I can never say there were peaceful terms in our household." Zeref calmly admitted. "I cannot expect you to understand, either. I saw my relationship with my parents differently than other people."_

"_Yea? So much so you never even showed up to their funeral!"_

_The room fell silent as Natsu stood from the couch and yelled that statement. Lucy was still desperately holding his right hand, and Zeref never changed from his smug expression as the pink haired younger brother ferociously rallied back._

"_You ignored Wendy and me for years. We haven't heard from you since you left! Hell I'm surprised Wendy even remembers who you are! Now you travel half way around the world to honor a man who was only your mentor for half your life!? IF YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO GET TO KNOW MOM OR DAD, THEN HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU KNEW JUDE AT ALL!?"_

_They all three stopped talking, and Lucy and Zeref waited to see if Natsu's shouting would wake the others up in the mansion. Seconds passed, and nothing changed. The notably dressed Zeref simply let out a sigh in his response, and grabbed his scarf from the table._

"_I knew mom and dad well enough because I'm quite good at reading people, much like the two of you. The supportive Lucy, and the passionate Natsu. I'm not sure there's a more perfect couple in the entire world...which is good."_

_Lucy and Natsu both eyed Zeref as he left for the foyer of the main door, but he stopped to give them one last suspicious glance with his piercing black eyes._

"_It's wonderful that you have one another, really, it is. You'll each need the other's hand here in the next few months...once I drastically change both of your lives forever."_

* * *

Lucy finished reciting the abrupt ending to the long Saturday night as she leaned back in her patio chair and looked up at Wendy. "It's probably a good thing you never woke up. Zeref seemed to be in a pretty antagonizing mood."

"I heard he gets like that." Wendy apologetically admitted. "I barely knew him when he left for school. I was only a baby at the time. Natsu never talks about him, but when he does..."

The both stopped talking, then Lucy broke the silence. "He said he was going to drastically change the lives of both Natsu and me. I have no idea what he meant by that."

"Hmm..." Wendy tried to think hard for her older best friend. "Well, from what I do know about him Zeref isn't really cruel, he's more like an emotionless-type. He would never do anything just to spite someone. Plus he barely knows you, and it sounds like your dad really meant something to him. I have no idea what he could be referring to..."

"HEY LUCY!?" Natsu shouted over from the pool as he yelled to his host. "You got any more of these beach balls?! Romeo keeps popping all the good ones!"

"Nuh-uh!" Romeo stood from the water and pointed frantically at Natsu. "He's the one who keeps biting them every time I score a point on him!"

"Oh, shush!" Natsu snapped back. "Maybe we just need ta get real volleyballs then. I'll probably be able to slam you harder into the ground after launching one of those things your way!"

"Natsu!" Lucy stood from her chair with two balled fist. "I'm about to ban you from my pool for life if you don't stop acting like a child!"

"Wow, he really is goofy." Wendy scratched her head as she sipped through a straw in her drink.

Lucy sighed, and fell back into her chair. "You're telling me, and you've known him all your life!"

Wendy shook her head. "No, I mean look at him. He's so happy and cheerful again. I've never seen him so beat up then the way he was over the past few days...but now he's smiling."

Lucy paused, and began watching Natsu and Romeo roughhousing in her pool, then it hit her. Natsu's total word count since Friday was only in the double digits, but now all of a sudden he was smiling and goofing off again. She spent all weekend worrying about his mental health, but now came to find that the spunky Salamander may just be fine after all.

"What do ya know?" She blushed with a soft smile. "He's almost an inspiration now."

"_Laaady_ Lucy." A stern voice with an unusual farm-related moan came from the door. Both girls turned to find the family lawyer, Caprico, paired with the house maid, Virgo, standing in the doorway to the main kitchen.

"C-Caprico?" Lucy stuttered. "I haven't seen you since the funeral ceremony. I never thanked you for all your hard work, yesterday."

"He accepts, Princess." Virgo answered for the stern goat of a man. "But we need to discuss a far different matter, right now."

"Eh?" Lucy stood from her chair. "What's this about?"

Caprico put a finger in between his bespectacled eyes to push his sleek black sunglasses upward. "It's an urgent matter involving your dearly departed father. Tell Mr. _Draaagneel_ to join us in the parlor as well. He is of no direct concern, but he will find one bit of the news very interesting."

The two Heartfilia servants were joined by Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, and Romeo as they sat in Jude's downstairs parlor room. With walls flanked by books, expensive art, and Magnolia Fairies memorabilia, the room was a peek symbol of Jude's personal wealth.

"So what's this all about, Caprico?" Lucy asked timidly. "Is there something wrong with me being here in the house?"

"Yea, spill the details, Goat-man!" Natsu pulled the key protector up on the grand piano in the corner of the room, and started tapping the ivory with horrible weight on each of his fingers. He had a beach towel draped over his broad, muscular shoulders, and fiery red and black swim trunks on that were starting to soak into the polished wooden bench.

Wendy covered her ears. "Natsu, stop being rude and let the poor man speak."

Caprico adjusted his tie as he set a briefcase on the table in front of him. "Laaady Lucy, I call you and your invited guests into this room, today, to reveal your late father's Will. It concerns all the properties and inherited titles that you will receive in his name."

He pulled a piece of paper from the locked suitcase, then read it aloud to the rest of the group.

* * *

**THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF**

**_Jude Mackenzie Heartfilia._**

**I, **_**Jude M. Heartfilia**_**, residing at 70 West Gate Park, Magnolia, Fiore, being of sound mind, declare this statement to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all other ****documents**** and statements declaring this same message, ****and ****rightfully ****claim the****m to**** be false or outdated****.**

**A****RTICLE**** I**

**I appoint **_**Caprico C. Goat**_ **as my Personal Representative to administer this Will, and ask that he be permitted to serve my beneficiaries without Court supervision and without posting bond. If **_**Caprico C. Goat**_ **is ****unwilling or unable to serve, then I appoint **_**Virgo D. Everlue**_** as my secondary Personal Representative, and ask that she be permitted to serve my beneficiaries without Court supervision and without posting bond.**

**ARTICLE II**

**I appoint my Personal Representative to pay out of my residuary estate for any existing expenses, claims, and taxes ****labeled in my name****. This would relate to all reasonable funeral expenses, including the cost for any suitable marker for my grave, without the necessity of a****n**** order ****of court approving said expenses. **

**ARTICLE III**

**I devise, bequeath, and give my ****manor**** estates, their**** total contents, ****and all ****pr****ivate ****funds and assets remaining in my name, to my daughter, **_**Lucy **__**A. **__**Heartfilia.**_

**I devise, bequeath, and give my majority share and ****the ****controlling factors of the Heartfilia Airlines corporation to my business partner, **_**Jean L. Neville.**_

**I devise, bequeath, and give my majority share and ****the ****controlling factors of the Magnolia Fairies ****Basketball T****eam** **to my niece, **_**Michelle **__**H. **__**Lobster.**_

**I devise, bequeath, and give all remaining publicly traded shares and controlling interests labeled in my name to my lawyer, _Caprico C. Goat_. **

**ARTICLE IV**

**I devise, bequeath, and give all the rest and remainder of my residuary estate to my daughter, **_**Lucy **__**A. **__**Heartfilia.**_

**ARTICLE V**

**In closing, I appoint **_**Caprico **__**C. **__**Goat**_** as my witness to the craft and publication of this s****tatemen****t. I sign below to close out all existing properties and concerns to the beneficiaries stated above.**

_**-Jude Mackenzie Heartfilia, signed May 15, X792**_

* * *

"Wow..." Lucy's heart had stopped beating in the middle of the letter, but found its tune again as the lawyer finished his statement. "He only had that made this past month...what was going through his head, I wonder?"

"What a butt munch!" Natsu stood from the piano. "He didn't leave the Fairies to you!? He gave us away to that ditsy cousin of yours!"

"Natsu." Lucy calmly rebutted. "I-I told you guys already...I never wanted to be the owner. I love the team, but I'm worried if I take the franchise it'll spoil basketball for me forever."

"Well, I guess it's too late now." Wendy lowered her head a bit. "At least he left you the mansion and all his stuff."

"Yea..." Lucy's head was slowly starting to throb with a headache. "But now I have to pay for this place? _Yikes!_ I'm going to have to rethink my career plans!"

"Ah chill out." Natsu laughed and waved a hand. "He left you all his savings too, plus my rookie contract just ended last month. Jude decided to spend the big bucks on me for my _new_ deal...heehee, he even told me to wait on buying my own land for that house I wanted to build!"

"Right, but I don't think he did it for_ that_ reason..." Lucy sighed embarrassingly. "He probably just didn't want you as his neighbor. Still...I-I guess I_ could_ sell it to you, Natsu. After all, you just made league history with the highest contract ever! Plus, you said Romeo's dad is going to start using you for commercial deals. Maybe this can work out, after all..."

"Oh you know it will!" Natsu clapped his hands together. "_200 Billion Jewel _for five years with the Fairies! That's like 50 Billion a year for a five year deal!"

"Not quite, Natsu..." Wendy lowered her head even more. "More like 40 billion. How much is the Heartfilia estate estimated at, anyway?"

Caprico nodded swiftly. "The Heartfilia Estate and the surrounding grounds at this property of West Gate park are currently valued at 65 Billion Jewel. Not to mention Jude's lake house on the north shore of Lake Scilliora, his speed boat at that same location, his sailing yacht in Port Hargeon, his shore side summer home in Hargeon, his personal family limousine, his collection of three silver sports car, his personal family jet, and his winter home on Mount Hakobe. We've sold off his public investments and stocks to help keep some of the vehicles in Miss Lucy's name, but the homes are all quite..."

"HOLY COW!" Natsu, Wendy, and Romeo all fell out of their seats after jumping up like rockets after hearing all those properties. Lucy rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Ahaha..._weeell_...daddy really liked his leisure time."

"That is quite the understatement, Princess." Virgo passively chimed off. "I suppose you'd also like to cancel the family membership at the West Gate Country Club? You could sell Jude's personal golf kit and club cart for quite a good sum of money as well."

"Whoa who whoa, hold on, now." Natsu calmed himself after sitting back on the piano bench. "Let's not get carried away, here. Let's have Lucy keep all the golf stuff, then she can be my partner for rounds in the summer. Sell all the boats and other crap, we want none of that!"

"Who are you, my husband?" Lucy joked with Natsu as a new wave of red flush took her cheeks. "I'm selling anything I can in order to keep the house I grew up in, which is _this_ one. I have so many memories here! The lake house across town was a dumb investment for dad to make, anyway. The winter home is very cozy...but it can also go for a lot on the market. Plus our home in Hargeon has a gorgeous view perched on top of a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean. I'm sure we can sell all of that _and_ let Natsu by some of this house after his first few checks."

"Well." Caprico stood from his seat, and placed the crisp tan paper back into the briefcase. "I _suppooose_ that's something you will have to discuss with Laaady Michelle, Natsu. She is your new owner, after all. She won't be able to trade you, but there are usually _claaauses_ in FBA deals that allow her to renegotiate with you in case of ownership changes. She may not feel comfortable paying a player that amount of money in her first year of ownership, after all. So I suggest _staaaying_ on her good side."

"Oh yea." Natsu scratched his chin. "Maybe I can get you and Wendy to bake her up something tasty, Lucy. She seemed to be really obsessed with food, even more than I am! Play to that sweet tooth of hers, and get me the bigger bucks five years down the road!"

"Hmm..." Caprico stood like a stone statue as he leaned his head forward to finish his remark. "Well, I meet with your dear cousin this evening, Luuucy. I suppose we'll see where she sits on all of this after today."

"I guess so." Lucy pondered. "Maybe she can buy some of this junk we just mentioned. She's almost as rich as dad was!"

"She is a famous fashion designer, I suppose." Romeo added on. "But I thought you guys said she hates basketball? Kind of weird to give her the team."

"Maaaster Jude always worked in mysterious ways." Caprico admitted with a stern voice as he turned for the doorway. "Even I had had hard time reading him every now and then. Either way, I leave you all for the afternoon. Have a good day."

The towering lawyer left the room, and Virgo turned for the kitchen on the other side of the room as the younger group members remained in the parlor. Wendy sat holding Romeo's hand on a love seat, but her eyes looked very worried. "I hope Michelle doesn't hate basketball that much. It'd be a bummer to try and run a team you don't really care about."

"Well, I think she just says that to turn heads." Lucy sighed deeply. "Michelle can be very eccentric in her emotional rants. She's always had a habit of raising eyebrows."

"Psh! Whatever!" Natsu started playing the piano very poorly once again as he shouted over his bad tunes. "As long as it's her office I have to report to whenever I get it trouble from now on! I'll be walking in the park from here on out with her at the helm! She cries more than I did as a baby!"

"Ugh...didn't you listen to anything Caprico said?" Lucy sank into her seat with a twitching eyebrow. "You have to stay on her good side, which I guess isn't hard. Michelle is sort of a push over, after all."

* * *

"The world's wealthiest fashion designer, all at age twenty five." Loke had his legs crossed as he sat in the chair of an interviewer on live TV for the evening segment of his personal Sunday talk show. His suit was suave, his eyes were measured, and his demeanor was calm but commanding as he continued asking questions to the lovely lady sitting across from him. "How does one manage to climb a ladder like that at your young age?"

"Oh, Leo, you're only a year younger than me!" Michelle Lobster's face was red like an apple as she beamed into the camera talking to the host of her interview.

She wore a pair of bright pink denim jeans slimmed down to her exact leg size, and a softer pink blazer jacket over a flashy white t-shirt, all underneath a wide brimmed white sunhat. She kicked her glitzy high heeled feet down to the floor with excitement, and tried to collect her innocent emotions. "I've just been blessed with a good eye for clothing, and I've had really great people looking out for me every step of the way."

"I can only imagine." Loke nodded with interest. "I've heard you're very close to your relatives, the Heartfilias?"

"Well, I honestly try to be! But we're all so busy...and plus...oh, it's been really tough on all of us after poor Uncle Jude's accident!"

"Stunning." Loke reached out to take her shivering hand as she balled tears down her eyes and lips. "Even with such emotions, you're beauty knows no limits. You should try modeling for your own fashion line, sometime."

The crowd laughed with their host in support of Michelle.

"R-Really?" Michelle sniffled into a tissue as the crowd cooed and clapped around them. Her eyes were puffy, as well as her new found smile. "Oh sometimes I wish you were still involved with our family, Leo! You are just the _sweetest!_"

"Hah, I've heard that before, but I'm afraid I still don't quite believe it..." He wholesomely admitted to her and the audience full of love struck women as he turned for the camera. "Well that will do it for our exclusive interview, today. I'd like to thank the ravaging billionaire fashion designer, Michelle Lobster, once again for stopping on her busy tour schedule to visit us here in the studio. And I ask that you please join us next week when we invite the legendary figure of basketball, Coach Precht Gaebolg in here to talk Olympic Basketball. I'm Leo Regulus, and this has obviously been a wonderful edition of _Sunday with the Stars._"

The cameras were slowly shutting off, and a very confident Loke stood with a wobbly and teary eyed Michelle as the all-female audience roared on their feet for the end of the show and interview. Loke and Michelle leaned in to hug one another, and the handsome lion gave her one last comment quietly to her ear.

"Thank you again for stopping by. It was good to see you yesterday, despite the unfortunate circumstances."

"_*Sniffle*_ o-oh, thank you too, Leo, for having me on to promote my new summer line! I-I'm sooo sorry I ended the talk in an absolute mess of tears! I feel terrible!"

"Oh relax, hehehe..." Loke awkwardly swiped away some odd liquid running out of Michelle's nose onto the shoulder of his suit jacket, and gave her a TV star's laugh. "It was raw, and entertaining! Come back by and visit the show any time for a second round of questions!"

Michelle nodded rapidly as her phone started to buzz in her tight pink pants pocket. She then jumped up and down nervously. "Oh I'm very sorry, I have to take that. It was very nice seeing you again, Leo!"

"Yes, yes it was..." Loke leaned back and watched the very tightly dressed girl stumble around the cushioned chairs to the backstage, and admired his view as he readjusted his expensive glasses. _"It was wonderful seeing you too, Michelle. I'd say I hate ta see you go, but..."_

Michelle never heard any of that as she collided into several assistants in the back stage area. She nervously patted their hands in an apologetic way as she tried to avoid hitting the intern with coffee to her right, then ran into the closed door that held her private make up room and belongings from before the interview. She grasped the doorknob with sweaty palms, then slammed the door shut behind her as she took several deep breaths, and reached down to answer her phone.

"Ah-hem..._yes?_"

She sounded like a different woman. The person on the other line, though, had no way of noticing that fact.

A very smooth, young male's voice answered her back. "Ah, Michelle. I'm glad I was able to catch you just now. I must say your interview with TV's newly roaring lion was very entertaining."

The ditsy honey blonde girl was now standing high with one hip leaned to the side, with a look of maturity, confidence, and no-nonsense. Her expression changed from frantic and nervous, to cool and collected. Her powder blue eyes almost altered their shade to a darker, vacant navy color, and her eyebrows lowered with disinterest in the other man's words.

"Oh spare me you small talk, I don't have all day."

"Yes, I can imagine." The man replied. "I take it you're set to meet with Jude's lawyer this evening? I hope you can be the one to call me after everything is said and done."

"Rest assured, you'll be the very first person I call once that ugly old goat of a man gives me his time and my rightful new bequest." Her emotionless lips curled into a small grin as she looked at herself back in the mirror on the other side of the room. "My darling Uncle Jude was so very thoughtful...giving me ownership to a sports team I absolutely despise."

"Oh come now, our sport isn't all that bad." The man laughed to himself and quickly replied. "Though, I'm not sure why I'm trying to argue with you...I'd hate to make you change your mind all at the last second."

"Ha, don't you worry." Michelle sat in her powder chair in front of the makeup desk as she tossed her overly sized hat off to the side. "I plan to make this the fastest money deal the world of basketball has every seen. I can't even imagine what my bank account will look like by the end of this week."

"I hope to help you out dramatically in that department, when this is all said and done." He gave her one more amused chuckle before hanging up the phone. "We'll save the rest for our phone call, tomorrow evening. Until then, _Lady Imitatia._"

"You know?" The sultry voice of Michelle glided into her phone's speaker as she teased the man on the other line with her captivating words. "I used to hate that absurd nickname, but now I've grown to love it so much. I almost debate making it go public...only with time, I suppose."

* * *

**1\. Zeref be so ominous... Whatta creeper!**

**2\. So remember, Jewels are a few zeros removed from the US Dollar, so a house being worth 65 billion is more like 65 million. (Think the Biltmore Estate in NC.)**

**3\. Lucy gets the house! And houses, and all that other rich man crap! Michelle is the new owner of the Magnolia Fairies. It was really between his daughter who loves basketball but hates business, or his niece who hates basketball but loves business. If he were picking a new coach or GM, Lucy would have been better, but its the team's ownership. The FBA is first and foremost a business, therefore Michelle just makes more sense.**

**4\. And speaking of Michelle...ah, she does have two different personas in the anime, doesn't she! I wonder how this _Imitatia_ side of her will play out in my story...(hint, not very good!)**

**Until next time! This is really going to start getting juicy, BTW!**


	18. 18 - Breaking News!

**Author's Note: New chapter, enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen - Breaking News!

* * *

Loke had just finished his morning Monday show with Karen Lilica moments ago, and was now waiting for the rest of his main crew to finish their work for a quick trip out for lunch. Loke sat in his luxurious desk chair with the window to the city shading his back, while Karen sat off to the side as she waited with him inside his office. Both were silently checking their phones, but the_ golden lion_ of news finally broke the quiet air with a hardy chuckle.

"Well I'll be damned...she was right. Fiore is taking 5 fairies to Era this summer." Loke remembered talking gossip with Lucy throughout the week, and last he heard only 4 fairies were confirmed, but they both expected Natsu to eventually make the team as well.

Now, though, it was confirmed. He raised his glass of water in the air and toasted to his on-air co-host. "Well congrats to Natsu and the rest of Fiore's national team. Here's hoping they can bring back the gold to its former home."

Karen rolled her eyes. "You really think that team of crazy personalities can work together to win a gold medal? No one is going to pass the ball, and they'll all struggle on defense if those Alvarez players are as good as everyone says they are around the perimeter."

Loke shrugged, and spun around to look out the window. "I dunno, there's a different air about this team. They're saying this could be the real dream team of Fiore basketball. It'd certainly be crazy if they actually won the thing."

The green haired beauty put her phone to the side, and leaned forward on one of her knees as she sat in her comfy chair. "Oh my, does someone wish he were playing on that team, too? Is that a bit of sadness I sense coming from the great Loke Hazel?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Loke never even bothered to turn around to show her his laughing expression. Though he was very amused by the way she used his real name. "The new me has no time for that anymore. Leo Regulus would rather cover the good stories then work hard at building them, himself."

"Right, which is why you still have your old college memorabilia hanging up here on the wall...don't bother lying to me, Leo, it's quite obvious you're jealous of that Dragneel kid's rise to stardom."

"Now you just sound insane." Loke swiveled around in his chair, and looked at her with a smirk. "The kid got arrested for Assault in his second year with the league."

"Yes, and you got arrested for Driving Under the Influence in your senior year of college. You more than anyone should know better about that little stunt the Salamander pulled a few months back. We all know he only hit that poor fellow because of what the guy probably said to the blushing blonde sidepiece."

Loke rolled his eyes. "Well I'm sure that had something to do with it, but don't forget that Lucy is the kind of person to stick up for herself. I imagine Natsu had other reasons for wanting to hit a guy that late in a club."

Karen was starting to grow hungry, but she was much preferring this conversation over any boring lunch talk with the other workers. "Is she? I thought the whole reason you chose to take her under your wing was to 'shield' her from the dangerous people and motives surrounding the world of journalism? You were so proud to volunteer as her mentor, even more so then when you earned your spot beside me on the morning show...which no rookie in the history of the network had ever done before you, by the way."

Loke regretted turning around to look at her, and decided to lean forward to thumb through some of his notes. "I wanted an intern that I didn't have to break the ice with. Someone who also knew the ins and outs of journalism before day one. Lucy is a smart girl. She's the prefect intern for a lousy mentor like me. By the end, we'll both look good once she aces her program."

Karen stood up from her chair as her phone started buzzing, then waved at Loke while making her way for the door. "Just keep telling yourself that, lover boy. I've never seen you hold yourself from a pair of pretty eyes for very long...especially ones that you're already so used to looking at."

The door shut, and Loke quickly started to feel his blood begin to boil as he took another sip of water. He scoffed off the conversation with Karen, and started scrolling through his news feed on his smart phone.

_"I'm not doing this for me...I'm doing this for her...to make up for me becoming the lousiest memory of her life."_ Loke thought to himself with honest intentions, but then found his eyes growing very large as his thumb stopped on a bizarre headline from a fringe-based tabloid news center.

He stopped thinking about Lucy right there, and ran for the door to check with his team of journalism specialists. If this strange bit of news was true, then it would become far bigger than the Olympic Roster headline gracing the public so far that morning.

* * *

**X792 Fiore National Team Olympic Roster**

**Pos: Name: Affiliated Team:**

**PF Rogue Cheney _Saber City Tigers_**

**SG Erik Cubellios _Oraci__ó__n Sei__s_**

**PG Natsu Dragneel _Magnolia Fairies_**

**C Laxus Dreyar _Magnolia Fairies_**

**PG Sting Eucliffe _Saber City Tigers_**

**SG Jellal Fernandes _Magnolia Fairies_**

**SF Gray Fullbuster _Magnolia Fairies_**

**PF Bacchus Groh _Quattro Cerberuses_**

**PG Ichiya Kotobuki_ Acalypha Pegasi_**

**C Jura Neekus _Margaret Lami__a__s_**

**PF Gajel Redfox _Magnolia Fairies_**

**SF Lyon Vastia _Margaret Lamias_**

**Coaches: Precht Gaebolg, Minerva Orland, Erza Fernandes**

* * *

"Well, Fiore, it's been quite the busy morning for us in the studio! Just a few hours ago, Coach Precht Gaebolg and the executives at Fiore Basketball officially released the final draft for this year's Olympic Roster. five guards, five forwards, and two centers like we expected, but WOW what a celebrity ensemble!"

Chapati Lola was leading his usual mid-day round table on network TV as he and the other experts sat around the studio and informed the camera and its viewers on their own opinions for this year's Games.

His usual partner, Yajima, was all smiles since the announcement, and leaned back in his chair with arms behind his overly large head. "Well, I'm just happy that old coot Hades came around to his senses. The five starters for Magnolia have the best chemistry in the entire league. It makes sense that he'd want to take them all with the rest of our boys over to Era next month."

"Totally!" Jason was flashing through his notes trying to keep his rapid heart rate down. "This is the coolest roster I've ever seen! The first year in Fiore's history that 5 players were taken from one franchise, and it just so happens to be our 2-year champions! So _coool!_"

"Yes, thank you very much." Rabian nodded with a tiny smile on his face as he gave them all his own thoughts. "I must say I'd never expect to see a team made of all stars coming from Magnolia and Saber City. The two FBA finals teams this year, and quite a budding rivalry for the young Dragneel and Eucliffe. They'll both be competing for that starting Point Guard position."

"You're absolutely right, Rabian." Chapati nodded. "Especially now that Coach Gaebolg has officially decided to move Eric _the Cobra_ from the 1 to the 2. He must have had some impressive shooting at their practices last month."

Yajima stopped him there. "Well, I'd say it's more because he was impressed by Natsu and Sting, and was worried three point guards would be too many to field. He's probably going to use Cobra as a role player, much like the Fairies utilize Jellal back home. I'd look for either shooting guard to have at least 5 shots a game, but I'd keep all your eyes focused down below the rim. Gajeel, Lyon, Gray Fullbuster? This is the most aggressive team we've sent to Era in years."

"He's not wrong." The senior-most referee in the FBA, Lahar, was siting in as their guest analyst for the day's show. "I would think Fiore is trying to push their way to a medal this year, but they might want to be careful when facing off against some of the higher perimeter teams in the tournament."

"Right you are, Lahar." Chapati tapped his pen on his paper. "And it's wonderful to see you and Mest Gryder representing Fiore as two of the Olympic officials this year. While we still have you on, this would be the perfect opportunity to ask you for an opinion on...oh, hold on, I'm sorry, we're just receiving breaking news! OH MY GOODNESS! THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING, FOLKS! You're not going to _BELIEVE_ what we've just found out!"

It was almost too much to handle. Whether you were Laxus or Mirajane watching the television monitors at the Fairy Tail Tavern in downtown Magnolia, or Gray and Juvia stopping to check their phones as they took a walk around the picturesque Lake Scilliora. Jellal and Erza strolling through the shopping boutiques in the business center of downtown, or even Gajeel and Levy lounging in the waiting room of the nearby hospital.

Natsu and Lucy were at the Heartfilia Mansion, trying to enjoy it all they could just in case they ended up losing it later in the summer. The couple leaned forward together on the couch as their eyes locked on Jude's old flat screen plasma TV. Natsu was trying to form words with his exploding brain, while Lucy was trying to keep her heart pumping to prevent her from passing out onto the floor.

"According to a new league report, the Magnolia Fairies are being sold over seas, and transferred to the country of Alvarez!" Chapati Lola had a hand on his ear mic as he looked beyond the camera to try and make sure his facts were coming in straight while he addressed a captivated nation. "The deal will include all properties associated with the Fairies, and would have all memorabilia and the team's legacy transferred over seas as well.

"It's believed, with sources verified by her agent, that the new owner and operator for the Magnolia Fairies, Michelle Lobster, is selling her late uncle's FBA franchise to an undisclosed buyer in Alvarez for a total of 100 Billion Jewel. This would officially make the Magnolia Fairies the most expensive sports franchise in the world, and would also be named the largest franchise relocation in the history of the sports landscape. We will keep you all updated on the truth of this matter as more details unfold, but we have just heard mere seconds ago that the collective owners of the Magnolia Fairies will be meeting privately at 3:00 pm behind closed doors to finalize the decision as a group."

Lucy and Natsu were stunned. They were together alone in the living room of her late father's house, but both young figures felt frozen apart as they each tried to collect the news on their own.

"I don't believe it..." Lucy slid off the couch, as her knees crashed to the carpeted floor. "I don't believe it..."

"AGH…!" Natsu's mouth was open, and noises were coming out, but they could not be classified by the human mind as words. Both of their phones, however, were quite louder than their owners, as hundreds of vibrations sang from the devices over and over again.

Across town, Laxus and Mira were chased out of the restaurant by a horde of news reporters, and Gray and Juvia, Jellal and Erza all four suffered a similar situation as the last of those four names had no choice but to stop and address the news.

Erza's mouth was leaking useless information into a Channel-5 microphone. "Y-Yes, well...news is news...this was news...it's obviously news. It was all new to me...new news...news I had never heard yet all day, today...new news..."

Jellal was slapping his forehead repeatedly with a hand as he tore his broken wife from the cameras, and maneuvered his way to their car. Gajeel and Levy were now behind hospital doors for another one of Levy's routine checkups but the swinging medical doors did not stop dozens of media figures from flooding the hospital grounds right on the spot.

"MISS McGARDEN! WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS NEWS PRIOR TO ITS RELEASE?"

"LEVY, ANY IDEA ON WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH MR. HEARTFILIA'S MIND WHEN HE SOLD THE TEAM TO MICHELLE? DID HE KNOW SHE HAD PLANS TO SELL OUT?!"

"MISS LEVY, ANY WORD ON IF YOU WILL RETAIN YOUR TITLE AS GM IF THE TEAM IS RELOCATED TO ALVAREZ? HOW DO YOU SUSPECT THIS WILL AFFECT THE LANDSCAPE OF THE REST OF THE FBA!?"

"AHH ALL OF YOU GO TA HELL!" Gajeel poked his head out, and yelled so loudly that the windows shook on the other side of the lobby. Several front row cameramen jumped back in fear, then all lost their chance to catch the Fairy GM as she left for her appointment.

Lucy tried wondering how all of her friends were taking the news, but her mind kept coming back to herself, and Natsu. She wanted to hold his hand, but hers were trembling now as she looked down to her knees.

"This is my fault..." Lucy felt tears falling from her eyes as they hit her curled legs. "Everyone told me to take the team...a stadium of people cheered for me to take the team from dad and become the new owner at his funeral...I was too nervous to do it...I'm too much of a weakling to take risks...this is all...my...fault."

_***SLAAAM***_

That was the sound of Natsu punching the screen of the large 80+ inch television mounted inside Lucy's childhood living room. The device sparked for a bit, then powered off quickly as the plasma screen suffered an indentation from Natsu hard hit.

His fist was not bleeding, but his knuckles did look red and swollen after that move. Lucy felt her lungs lose all their air as she gasped from the hit, then watched her angry boyfriend pant loudly in front of the broken monitor.

"It's all bull shit...every last word of it. We're not going anywhere. I refuse to let the Fairies GO ANYWHERE! NOT WHILE I'M AROUND!"

"NATSU!" Lucy stood up with her own sense of raw anger, and held her hands down by her side. "Quit being so immature! It's not your choice! We lost. We can't do anything about it...I should have taken the team from my father, but I was too stupid. It's done...it's over...it's all...just over..."

Natsu had turned around slowly, and did not expect to see the waterfall of emotions come falling out of his girlfriend's large brown eyes.

"I...I just can't have a normal life...everyone around me has always teased me about being the rich girl...saying that I've never had to lift a finger...growing up in a big mansion with a rich daddy...I spent years letting him push me around about what school I wanted to go to...about what I'd major in...I dated a boy in high school who almost got me killed...I finally made my own decision, my own choice for a career, and it's all been too much to handle. A lousy freshman year socially...my father's death...my favorite team...the team I grew up watching and loving...for my mother and grandmother...for my father...why do I even bother appreciating _anything__!?_"

"Lucy..." Natsu used the time that passed to settle his fiery heart. He wrapped her up in a large hug, and took her head into his shoulder. "How can you talk about your life being so crappy like that...you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Lucy sobbed several times before looking up to his wide grey eyes. "R-really? B-But you've always dreamed of playing in the FBA?"

"Yea, so when the time came for me to get drafted, it turned out a little boring...you know, kinda predictable? But when I met you...I've given everything I have in life over the past two years for you...for Wendy. I'm not letting some stupid move change anything right now. If the Fairies really are leaving...then I'm staying right here in Magnolia all by myself with you."

"Natsu...Natsu...don't say that." Lucy's head fell back into his shoulder, and she unloaded the rest of her emotions over her boyfriend's embrace, as Natsu looked up to two new visitors in the back of the room.

It was Caprico the lawyer, and Virgo the maid. They both seemed to be waiting patiently while the two lovers finished their moment.

"Hey, Lucy...I think you have some visitors." Natsu rubbed her back with is hand, then turned her gently around to see for herself.

Lucy lifted her head once again, then cleared her eyes with a hand as she turned to see the two servants of her late father. "Oh, it's you guys...I'd say I'm embarrassed, but you've both seen me like this before...ahehehe."

"Yes, Princess. That's why we wanted to come help you." Virgo gave Lucy a soft smile. "We never like seeing you cry. We much prefer it when you're happy and smiling."

"Yes, and I know for certain your mother and _faaather_ both felt the same way." Caprico's face was clean as a slate of its emotions, and stared at the blonde through thick sunglasses. "You're emotional touch may just be what we need to keep the Magnolia Fairies here in town."

"Wha-?" Lucy wiped her eyes again, trying to collect his words as her hand settled onto Natsu's chest. "I-I don't understand. What are you trying to say?"

Virgo bowed, and nodded. "The Magnolia Fairies are not just owned by one person. Michelle is only the _majority _owner. She still has to meet with the other shareholders later this afternoon."

"Other guys that own the team?" Natsu spoke up. "So Papa Jude really had his own little entourage?"

"So to speak, yes." Caprico reluctantly admitted. "Jude Heartfilia was the majority shareholder, and principal owner of the Fairies, but there are also two minority owners who have a voting stake in the team as well. It addition, the team's accountant, and the team's legal partner are each given a vote in important matters. We do not hold financial connections to the team, but we have a share in major discussions as representatives in the employee sector."

Caprico stepped forward, and looked down at a wide-eyed Lucy standing in Natsu's arms.

"Miss Lucy, as the legal council for the Magnolia Fairies, I would like to award you with my voting share in the Magnolia Fairies ownership circle. With this, you will be able to attend today's group meeting, and cast a vote to stay in Magnolia."

"Really!?" Natsu and Lucy shouted out in unison, but the blonde followed up afterwards. "But I-I still don't quite understand. Why not just go, yourself, Caprico? You seem like you want us to stay in town also!"

"Yes, that is true." Caprico nodded, and turned his body ninety degrees to look out a large bay window. "But I would not be taken seriously by the others. You on the other hand have your heart...your _mother's_ heart...and you have your mind...your _father's_ mind. Use these a weapons to sway the other owners to your side, and save this team all on your own."

"Who are the other owners?" Lucy asked timidly. "Do I know any of them?"

"Jean Luc Neville is one of the minority owners, as is the retired Arch Bishop of Kardia Cathedral, downtown. His name is Byro Cracy, and he seems to be in favor of the move to Alvarez. Along with their votes, Samuel Aera holds a vote as the head of the team's Financial Department, and I hold the fourth minor vote, as the team's legal council. Together our four votes equal 50%, enough to halt Michelle's decision."

"I forgot." Lucy's inner lights clicked on. "Jean Luc is a minority owner."

Virgo added on. "Jean Luc and Byro both hold a 15% stake in the team. Meanwhile, your father owned the remaining 70%. Jude lent the other 20% of his voting rights to law and accounting to help balance decision making. He always knew he would have Caprico behind his own ideas, so he never felt threatened only controlling 50% of each team vote."

"Voting only comes about for larger decisions that affect the franchise as a whole." Caprico reaffirmed. "The majority owner is the only own who can trade players, hire and fire employees, set ticket prices, and handle all other team aspects. But an entire franchise move would affect all the controlling parties, so they obviously have a say in this matter as well."

"Okay...but I don't know..." Lucy felt a chill run down her spine as she thought about going against her ruthless cousin, and the other businessmen in order to save the team, but her fear was quickly curbed as Natsu let out a howl of laughter.

"BAHAHA!" Natsu shook his head with great amusement. "Ah man, you really are Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, aren't ya! This is perfect!"

"I am?" Lucy's eyebrows shot up. "What has you saying that?"

"DUH!" He patted her on the head. "You didn't want to own the team, then ya felt bad for giving them up. I think you have some sort of guardian angel looking out for ya if this opportunity just drops down into you lap. Go in there and show all those morons who the real boss is! Save the team, Lucy!"

"You really think I can?" Lucy felt an uplifting spirit rising in her arms and shoulders, then Natsu looked at her once again and smiled.

"I don't just think you can save them, Lucy...I think you're the _only person_ who can save them. It's gotta be you! You love the Fairies more than anyone!"

"Yea...yea!" Lucy nodded several times, as each one moved faster and faster with her now emerging smile. She reached out and shook Caprio's hand with a confident grin sealing her face.

"I absolutely _can_ do this! Michelle Lobster is going to regret the day she tried double-crossing her own family!"

"Hmm." For the first time in many years, Caprico the stern lawyer, gave another human being a smile. "I've been waiting all day to see that reaction from you, Laaady Lucy. Come, we don't have much time to prepare."

* * *

Juvia had closed her business for the afternoon, and ordered all her waiters and employees to go home. A line of news media figures waited along the streets outside her luxurious sea-food restaurant on the shores of Lake Scilliora, but none were allowed entry as she, Gray, Jellal, Erza, Laxus, and Mirajane all found solitude inside the downtown hot spot during this bombshell of a news report.

Their very own Magnolia Fairies basketball team was being relocated to a new city and country. Each of them experienced the news in a different way.

Juvia leaned into Gray while her eyes sobbed with flowing tears, while the angry Small Forward held her as he looked out a great glass window at the swelling lake water outside. Mirajane and Laxus held hands over at a different table on the other side of the main dining room, and Jellal sat by himself near the entrance of the floor. Erza stood by the main door, and leaned on the wooden frame as she glanced outside every now and then at the peering journalists looking through the glass door and walls. None of them felt like talking very much. There was very little that could be said without raising the emotions of everyone else trapped in the desperate situation.

Mira was the first to find words, though, and tightened her grip on Laxus's hands. "Well, it was a fun ride while it lasted...I suppose it's not all bad, though. All of us will probably be transferring to Alvarez with the team, so at least we still have jobs."

That was a silver-lining no one else really wanted to highlight. It seemed rather selfish to get upset about a situation where you till had a job, but not to this group of loyal Magnolia players.

Jellal was the next to speak. "I suppose. Gajeel and I only have one year left in our deals, after this season. Once the new owners buys the team for a record amount, I doubt he'll have the cap space to hold onto us."

Erza stood tall behind him. "Yes, I'm afraid they'll also look to replace Levy as a GM is she goes into labor before the season. A fresh new franchise will not want their field manager working from home in their inaugural season. With a GM replacement, the coaching staff will be released...I'll probably be looking for a new team as well."

Laxus scoffed, and looked over at Gray. "Well, shirtless, it looks like it's just you, me, and that idiot Salamander. He and I both signed 5-year deals, and I saw you picked up a fresh 3-year contract as well. We'll be sharing in this crappy new spot light for years to come."

"G-Gray..." Juvia soaked up her tears, and looked at her beloved. "I-I will support you no matter where you go, but I can't just leave this city...this country behind...this is my home...it's all our homes."

Gray Fullbuster felt like he had been sitting in his chair the entire morning, despite only ever sitting down within the last hour. He had not said a word since seeing the news, and only wondered how Gajeel, Levy, Natsu and Lucy were all taking it.

Suddenly, though, he put an arm around Juvia, and brought her closer. "Yea, it stinks...but I'm going to have to put my thoughts on hold for now, only while the Olympics are still a thing. I'm not letting this crap distract me from the opportunity of a life time."

They all looked up at Gray, and Laxus rolled his eyes. "Yea, simple way to look at it, I guess...put off worrying about a life-alerting transition for another month while we go suck ass on a basketball court in front of an entire Olympic audience. I guess the move won't be so bad after we all get knocked out of the first round. At least we'll have a chance to get to play with other league all-stars, though. They may become our new teammates sooner or later."

The room grew quite darker after that insight, but Erza stayed standing tall as she looked around at all her friends.

"No. This obstacle will not defeat us so easily. This is the same organization that founded the sport, and defeated the mighty Tartaros to claim our first ever league title. I have no idea where Natsu or Lucy are...but I have hope and faith that they will stand up for what is right."

"You think so?" Gray looked over at Erza. "I guess you're probably right, Natsu is pretty stubborn. He'll probably break into Michelle's negotiating meeting and headbutt her out the window."

"Yes, that does sound like our Salamander." Juvia wiped a tear from her eye. "And Lucy was very clear at her father's funeral that she loves this team. I have faith she will stand up against her evil cousin, too."

"Me too!" Mirajane clapped with bright eyes. "Lucy is obviously smarter than anyone in her family. She'll sit down with Michelle before a deal gets struck, and save the team in style!"

Jellal felt Erza's hands land on his shoulders from behind, and had no choice but to smile as well. "Now that you mention it, none of that sounds ridiculous at all. Even if they fail, Natsu and Lucy will most definitely put up their own fight until the bitter end."

All the members in the room started to feel their hopes lifting up, and then looked at the team captain, Laxus for his response.

"Well, they're both stubborn as hell. Let's find Levy and that metal head, Gajeel. Maybe we can stand behind them and save the Fairies like a real team."

"Actually, I think Levy has ya beat on that, Laxus." Gray removed his phone from the front pocket of his shirt hanging on the back of the chair. He looked down to see a new group message from Levy, and grinned through each word. "Guess we better start heading to South Gate Arena. Natsu and Lucy have already made their move."

* * *

**Well that was a LOT. Two major news headlines in one day! Lucy and Natsu support each other, and the rest of the team has their back! Let's see if Lucy Heartfilia, the master negotiator can get the job done tomorrow! (The next one is one of my favorite chapters I've ever written, BTW!)**

**Until then!**


	19. 19 - The Sport of Business

**Author's Note: Right now my internet is down, so I am typing my author notes on a phone. Apologies for typos! Also, this chapter is better if you have read the original Hardwood Heroes story.**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen - The Sport of Business

* * *

Lucy, Caprico, and Natsu were all three standing inside the brown and chrome elevator in South Gate Arena shooting its way to the upper levels of management along the South Gate Arena stadium. Usually when Lucy found herself riding this machine, she was heading to her father's office.

She was wearing a dark grey suit jacket with a matching skirt, over a pink dress shirt opened at the top button. She clicked one of her black high heals on the elevator floor as the few numbers passed by her view taking them to the top. Caprico stood next to her, wearing his extravagant three-piece black suit with a grey vest and black tie. His eyes were hidden, as usual, by mirror-polished shades, appropriately hiding his emotionless eyes.

Natsu Dragneel, on the other hand, stuck out among the other two rather simply. He was wearing his home red and yellow Magnolia Fairies uniform, jersey, pants, shoes and all. He held a team basketball underneath his arm, and picked his ear with his other hand's pinky.

"Is this place really that tall? I thought we'd be there by now." Natsu groaned impatiently.

"I'm a little thankful for the delay." Lucy sighed deeply as she clutched her black handbag. "I kind of hope the elevator gets stuck..."

"Lady Lucy, relax." Caprico reassured her. "There is no need to be so nervous. The team will be sold if you do not step in that room, so technically we have already lost them. Think of all this as having nothing else to lose."

"The Old Goat's right, Lucy." Natsu put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder from behind. "Lighten up! You got this!"

"I guess..." Lucy felt a second hand hitting her other shoulder, then raised an eyebrow. "But before I go in there, I just have a few questions...for starters, why is _he_ in here with us?"

She gestured to the fourth person in the elevator standing behind Caprico. It appeared to be the fluffy blue feline mascot for the Magnolia Fairies, Happy the Cat.

Natsu howled, and slapped the silent mascot on the back. "HA! This guy? I invited him, duh! We're gonna be standing outside cheering you on!"

The blue catsuit with a overly large head and comically round eyes held up a white and black sign, reading "Aye Sir!" to state his claim.

"Right, and that brings me to my next point…" Lucy turned around to look at his uniform. "Why are you dressed like that? You look ridiculous, and neither of you will even be allow in the conference hall!"

"Nah, these are the new uni's! They're so awesome!" Natsu flashed the jersey around for all three people to see. "We went ahead and let 'em bury old man Heartflia with the old ones since these just came in. Ain't no way Michelle will want to sell the team now!"

"Yea?" Lucy only imagined brand new uniforms would only help raise a team's market value. "I beg to differ, Natsu..."

"Try focusing on the task at hand, Laaady Lucy." Caprico did not want to sound rude or stern, but he was known to calmly snap from time to time. "Jean Luc is our ally. He'll vote in favor of remaining. Michelle is lost, I would not even waste your time trying to win her over. Therefore, it comes down to Byro and Saaamuel. I believe Byro still holds some form of care for this team. Samuel is our total wild card, and a man made solely on facts and data. If we can crack the two of them like we planned earlier, we can secure our 50/50 tie to force her hand for new negotiations."

"Right." Lucy nodded firmly. "Byro and Samuel...no Michelle..."

The doors slid open, and the four men waited for Miss Lucy Heartfilia to lead the charge as she swallowed her pride, and stepped out into the hallway. Natsu followed, then by Happy, and lastly Caprico.

They made it down to the end of the hallway. Two the right sat Jude Heartfilia's old nostalgic office, while to the left was the wide circular main conference room for the Magnolia Fairies. Lucy froze while she stared at the door, and took several long, deep breaths."

"Okay...here we go...are we too early? I forgot a watch...now I'm regretting not bringing my watch...or my normal purse...this handbag looks too big and gaudy...and now that I think about it why did I not let Cancer style my hair more formally for such a big meeting…?"

Natsu stopped Lucy in her rambling as he grabbed her by the arms, and kissed her passionately on the lips. She dipped down with a weak knee, then leaned away as she tried to collect her breath.

"Wow...thanks for that, Natsu."

"No problem." He beamed with his toothy grin. "Fight like a Fairy in there, Lucy."

She smiled confidently back, and gave him a thumbs-up as she opened the door, and stepped into the newly polished conference room with Caprico flanking her from behind.

"Ah, Caprico, glad you could make it." Said a rather old man with shaggy dark hair sitting on the left side of the circular table. "Byro and I were actually starting to think you weren't going to make it...oh? Who do we have here?"

"Hello, uncle Jean Luc. Long time, no see." Lucy teased her father's former best friend, and walked around to give him a hug.

"Miss Lucy. What an unexpected surprise. I never actually thought I'd see you again after your father's funeral the other day." Jean-Luc was a middle-aged man of average height and build, much like Jude Heartfilia. He held a stern look and stout facial features, with a large purple beard accompanied by a mustache of the same color crowning his face, as well as large curvy eyebrows.

He also sported long purple hair which reached down to his middle-back, so long that it happened to be tied in a loose ponytail at his neck. On the top of his head though, he was completely bald, which he usually covered up with eccentric hats on less formal occasions.

He was the more liberal minded half of the Heartfilia-Neville partnership, opposed to Jude's conservative take on running a company. Today he wore a tan leisure business suit with a white shirt underneath, no tie, and several of the buttons on his shirt were undone showing the upper half of his overly hairy chest.

Lucy still enjoyed his company, though. She always expected that Jean Luc was the reason Jude stayed so grounded apart from hsi busy work schedule. "No, I hope to keep in touch with you as long as possible. I'll still be partnered with the airlines for my new journalism career, too, so we'll run into each other at some point for that as well I suppose."

"This is most unexpected, to say the least." The grey haired tower of a man on the right side of the table stood from his chair, and looked at Caprico. "I never expected you to bring the Heartfilia girl into one of our meetings, Caprico."

Unlike his business counterparts, Byro Cracy was a tall and muscular man with trim white hair on top of his head, which made him look like a great stone statue. The only unique facial features he held were two tufts of hair on both sides of his chin which pointed downwards, which befit his face oddly seeing how he did not have any particular eyebrows.

The former Zentopian Cardinal, and former Arch Bishop of the Kardia Cathedral downtown had seen a prosperous retirement after he left the church, but the good doctrine of Zentopia followed him everywhere thoroughly, including his minor ownership of the Magnolia Fairies.

"Apologies, but I believe you may not remember me, Miss Lucy Heartfilia. I missed my chance to see you at the funeral, a mistake which I deeply regret. I was the priest at Kardia Catherdal back when your father and mother attended Sunday services regularly."

"O-oh, it's quite all right." Lucy timidly accepted his apology and shook his hand as he rounded the table to her side. "There were a whole lot of people at that funeral. I know I missed seeing at least half of them."

Byro nodded. "Your father was a good man. Very hard working. And he loved this city. He was the last remaining thing I respected about this miserable wreck of a franchise."

"_Well, seems like he will be one of my opponents, today."_ She kept that thought in her mind, and took a seat next to Jean Luc. "So, do either of you know where my lovely cousin is, by any cha…?"

The double doors to the conference hall slammed open, revealing a stern looking young blonde woman, wearing a tight green business suit jacket and skirt, pinstriped, with dark hoes running down to her high-healed feet. She wore a white blouse underneath the jacket, and a thin red tie with a matching red rose pinned to her lapel as she walked in with two very cold blue eyes.

Following her was a young man topped with a bald head, and skin that was so pale it almost looked to be powder blue. His eyes were lowered, as if he were measuring something on his open folder. His slick blue suit, red tie, and white dress shirt made him look comfortable in a business meeting as he chased the woman into the room casually to their conference.

"Miss Lobster, I'm not sure you're looking at these figures correctly, the way my research is showing, it looks as if..."

"Just stop, would you, you're too much of a bore for me to keep my ears open." Michelle's golden blonde hair waved about while she rounded the right side of the room, and took a seat at the head chair of the circular table, sitting in front of a bright bay window overlooking the rest of downtown Magnolia.

She undid her suit button, and took her seat quickly. "And can someone remove that Salamander and his stupid cat friend from outside the hall way? If I happen to leave this room and find his smirking grin looking back at me I'll pull all my hair out."

"Ah-hem."

The room fell quiet, and all eyes turned to a calm but fierce Lucy clearing her throat, looking at her relative with wide brown eyes.

"I'd say they're probably here to support the argument for the Fairies to stay in town." Lucy claimed arrogantly. "Sorry, Michelle, or should I call you Imitatia? I invited them. Hope you don't mind."

"Big Sister!?" Her voice still sounded shrewd, but her eyes were open widely now as she collected the angry face of her normally cheery cousin. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Lucy was almost offended that Michelle no longer felt the need to act cheery and ditsy, herself. "I'm only here because of an invite as well. That's a new look for you, Michelle. I've never seen you dressed like a movie villain before. I hope that's not from your new fall line."

Michelle leaned back in her chair, and raised her eyebrow. "I'm sorry, are you here to take my team out from under me? If I remember correctly, you told an entire stadium full of people that you had no desire to own a basketball franchise. More importantly, why the hell do you think it's appropriate for you to be sitting in on this very important meeting?!"

"I invited Laaady Lucy, ma'am." Caprico was still standing with a hand over his heart right behind Lucy. "I forfeit my vote, today, and graciously hand it to her."

"Denied." Michelle argued back. "Or opposed. Or whatever! You can't just go handing people your vote for a critical franchise meeting, you hack of a lawyer. I want her removed from this room immediately…!"

The G.O.A.T. lawyer stopped her there. "Article 1: Section 7 of the new ownership charter for the Magnolia Fairies, dated X770: _When transferring voting powers from a majority or minority ownership to another party, all controlling factors must not be signed over until legalized and notarized by a court of law. However, the two employee votes bequeathed to the law and accounting departments of the __organization__ may be e__xchange__d at any time w__ith__ any other employee of the Magnolia Fairies F__ranchise, so long as they show relevant proof of employment within the last 365 days__._"

"She's not an employee, here. You can't just hand her your vote!" Michelle barked. "She's an intern with that news company in Crocus! Unless you're counting that lousy high school blog she spent three nights making her senior year."

"No." Caprico affirmed her, while also pulling out an old pay stub addressed to Lucy from South Gate Arena. "But she is registered and employed with the franchise as a concession stand clerk. Laaady Lucy often finds herself employed for games late in the season when trying to earn her own money."

Michelle looked over at a now cheery Lucy, smiling back at her with two closed eyes, and her hands together on the table.

Then, the fashion icon's eyes started to twitch uncontrollably. "Very well then. This meeting has been called to discuss the relocation of the Magnolia Fairies franchise. Seeing how I have a majority share of this team, we're only doing this to keep our legal friend, here, happy. Therefore, all in favor of relocating the Fairies franchise to Alvarez for the grand total of 100 Billion Jewel say..."

"Hold on!" Lucy blurted out. "This is no way to do parliamentary procedure!"

"We need no parliament." Byro shot back. "Everyone in here knows who the other is voting for, it's no secret anymore. I for one have had it with the lousy athletes and their muck of a fan base running this city into the dirt. Their sins need to be absolved, and this town needs washed from the stench of that rotting franchise."

"Well, I cannot dare speak for sins or any of that nonsense." Replied the very arrogant Samuel, "but the cost for relocating the team to Alvarez is far cheaper than moving it to some other location in Fiore. The business deal arranged by Michelle is quite impressive, not to mention the local community will probably be grateful. The maintenance for South Gate Arena and any future renovations would cost the local taxpayers millions of Jewel now that their beloved Jude has passed away."

Lucy was sad to hear him state it all like that, an emotionless statistic. But it was quite honest. Jude Heartfilia was one of the more revolutionary icons in sports for Fiore, as he was the first team owner to pull funds out from his own pocket to help build the original South Gate Arena in X770. Today, those costs usually go to the tax payers of each city, and with South Gate Arena in semi-need of upcoming renovations, some of the die-hard Fairy fans may not be so upset to see their team leave.

Not so much, though, that it eventually struck Lucy to speak up. "We don't need a new stadium, or renovations! There's no need to fix anything that's looking fine the way it is. Most sports franchises only threaten a city to leave when they're looking to earn money from the city to buy a new stadium. My father corrected that relationship in the 70's."

"You have a point." Samuel licked his finger, and flipped through more of his notes. "The Magnolia Fairies have been managed far differently than any other organization in professional sports. A team with this bad of record over the last 20 years would have folded to another city a decade ago, yet Jude found a way to fund this operation and lead the team to two championship seasons. Perhaps we can wait a few more years and increase our own revenues before marking the price higher for the Alvarez buyer."

Lucy's ignored his compliment as her head was about to explode. "You're missing my point! The fans' love for this team is way beyond money! You can't just go measuring a team leaving a city based on their revenue!"

Samuel stared blankly back at her from beside Byro. "But Dear, that is the whole object of this organization; to earn more revenue. Also, to argue your point, stadiums and franchises very rarely revitalize their surrounding areas economically, or create new jobs. The fans are thankful for some mindless source of entertainment for now, but at the end of the day, a franchise transition overseas may be in the best financial interest for both the team and this city."

Caprico had shifted forward in his seat, but stopped once Lucy slammed her bag on the table, pulled out her red reading glasses, and proceeded to draw out papers from the inside.

"First, don't call me Dear. Second, don't act like your basic interpretation of franchises and stadium funding can even come close to relating to Magnolia's specific interests. In the past two years with the team's recent success, the Magnolia News and Sentinel noted a marked rise in consumer spending at downtown businesses, specifically around South Gate Park and the arena itself. Not to mention millions of jewel being pumped back into the city with raised ticket sales and concession earnings that the Fairies pay the city back with. The Fairies put more money back into their hometown than any other team in the league, which for most is zero Jewels!"

She looked at Samuel with passionate eyes. "My father made his money with Jean Luc and the Airlines, he had no interest in making money with the Fairies like some sweat shop factory. He barely broke even with his practices in this arena, and knew the heart of fans and the team itself would find its own earnings. This organization is far more valuable than the ridiculous price tag you're placing on it. You're throwing away a vital part of this city's economy if you send the Fairies to Alvarez."

"Hmm." Samuel pushed his glasses upward on his nose. "You really are quite the investigative journalist, Miss Lucy. Apologies for my tone. This is all very impressive."

He picked up her notes, and combed through them as his head leaned back on the large red office chair. "Someone else can go, I may be sold by her new-found statistics."

"How ridiculous." Byro scoffed at the young Heartfilia sitting across from him at the table. "That team of ingrates has brought glory to this city, but it has also brought great shame. Your very own beloved point guard was arrested for battery and assault less than three months ago. That whole team is nothing but vagrants, gamblers, alcoholics, and sinners."

"Sir, I'm sorry you have to see things that way." Lucy took her glasses off for Byro. "My father and I were devout church goers when I was growing up. He's put so much money into the Zentopian Archdiocese of Magnolia, you even took this position to honor his loyal contributions."

"What?" Byro's eyes grew wide. "So you _are_ familiar with me!?"

She nodded, hoping that he would forgive her for lying about her ignorance. "You were the priest when I was a little girl, attending Kardia ceremonies every Sunday. My mother died, and father got caught up in his business. We never found time to go once I grew up. But we have faith, and so does this team. The Fairy players all raise money for local charities consistently. That point guard you ridiculed for being a violent gambler? He donates all the money he wins from gambling and playing golf rounds with his teammates to local businesses and non-profits...even though I'm usually the one who recommends he do so."

Lucy leaned back, and sighed with a soft smile. "And like you said, they are capable of bringing glory to this city. Go around the town, ask about the faith and loyalty fans have with respect to the Fairies. This team means more to them than just a sport's spectacle. It's passion, it's heart, it's their _history._ As a former Zentopian cardinal I know you have respect for storied histories! The sport of basketball was founded here in town. Mavis Vermilion was _from_ Magnolia. We cannot take a part of history from the town where basketball was founded!"

"This is a waste of all our time, but most importantly mine!" Michelle slapped the table. "Caprico, get your loose dog out of the room and let us take this vote more seriously."

"I believe we already are." Jean Luc Neville nodded with a look of approval at Lucy to his right. "I'm actually quite impressed with your work, Miss Lucy. You really do your father proud. I cannot speak for everyone at this table, but I actually vote to keep the team here in town."

"Of course you do." Michelle rolled her eyes as she continued to mock him. "And no one _actually_ found that to be a surprise. You can convert all four of your votes into being against this move, but I still have ruling powers to transfer this team to wherever the hell I'd li..."

Lucy always hated interrupting people, but she found a new joy in doing it when it came to her bitter cousin. "Actually, I could care less about the three of their votes. As far as I'm concerned, the three other men here are all from Magnolia. _You're_ the one I really came to persuade."

Every eye in the room was wide, and now Michelle felt a smirk rolling up her lip. "You must be joking. I know I always act like the little, dimwitted Michelle around you in public, but let us all get one thing straight..._I'm_ in charge here, and I'm the one wanting to take this team over seas. There is no way you're that stupid to believe I'd be the easiest vote to sway."

"Wow." Lucy nodded calmly. "When Caprico told me about your business nickname, I almost didn't believe him. _Imitatia_...It really suits you now that I see you for my _true _cousin once and for all."

Lucy stood up from her seat, and leaned forward to project her newly commanding voice. "I'll obviously vote that we remain here with 10% of the voice, and you control 50% to help keep that alive. Jean Luc, Samuel, and Byro can all vote against me for all I care. You and I make 60%, and together we can keep our family name on this franchise."

Michelle rolled her deep, blue eyes. "And why the hell would I want to do that over earning 100 Billion Jewel?"

"Because you have no idea how much money this team is capable of making if Fiore wins the Gold medal in this year's Olympic Games."

All the other men were surprised to hear her make that statement, but Samuel spoke first. "U-hm, pardon me, Miss Heartfilia, but we have no concern with how the country of Fiore does in this year's Games. We're trying to sell an individual franchise in the FBA."

"Oh really?" Lucy snapped back. "You're only getting away with selling the Fairies for such a high price because you're shipping the team to _Alvarez_, a country where basketball is currently at its highest peak in popularity. If Alvarez happened to lose the gold medal this year, the sport's interest would fall at a rapid rate…On the other hand, Fiore invented basketball, and if we were able to win the gold medal, and bring back the title to our soil..."

"Then the FBA would experience a dramatic increase in revenue and earnings." Jean Luc nodded with approval. "That makes perfect sense when you actually start to think about it. Magnolia is currently the most successful and talented team in the league, and if we send our boys over to Era and they win us a gold medal, we'd actually see even more money coming our way in the long run due to their success and publicity. We could eclipse 100 Billion jewel within a year or two easily."

"Not to mention." Caprico finally found time to add his own opinion. "That rambunctious Point Guard you all haaappen to keep bringing up is the biggest symbol in sports, right now. You currently hold the most marketable face on the planet in your grasp, and yet you sit here and fight to sell the team like clueless children."

"Of course he's the most marketable player, he has the highest contract ever made." Michelle scoffed. "I was the one who talked Uncle Jude into raising his deal a few months back when we negotiated my name on his Will."

"_You_ got Natsu that insane contract!?" Lucy almost fell out of her own seat. "Why did you bother setting that up if you're just going to sell the team?"

"Because." She replied with a sultry, evil voice. "When you cook your holiday turkey, you always want to stuff him fat with the sweetest ingredients...Natsu Dragneel is locked into a 5-year deal that keeps him tethered to this organization, no matter where it gets shipped off to. If the Fairies happen to move over seas, and if the current buyer just so _happened_ to be his billionaire brother looking to reunite with a long-lost sibling..."

"You...you're trying to sell Natsu to _him!?_" Lucy used all her internal might to keep herself from shouting at her infuriating cousin. "You're selling the Fairies to _Zeref Dragneel!?_"

Michelle teasingly shrugged. "Is that so ridiculous? He's the world's only Trillionaire, and he wants to spend the rest of his life with Natsu. The least I could do is lock the dimwit into a 5-year deal. I'm sure those two idiots will make peace over the course of half a decade...or the pink-haired fool can throw all that money away and become a free agent."

Imitatia was not finished. "Or, I'm sorry, aren't the two of you young lovers trying to use his money to buy your father's house? It'd be a shame if he chose to throw that all away for some petty brotherly feud..."

Lucy was done. She wanted everything in her veins to give her enough strength to crawl over the table, and tackle her hated cousin out the large bay window. Her eyes began to twitch, her mouth began to foam, her eyes began to flood with tears, but some inner strength, a _fire in her belly_ seemed to ignite just at the last second to make up her desperately imploding mind.

"THEN WE'LL BET ON IT!" Lucy finally shouted, and shook the entire room, almost taking a page from her beloved Natsu's handbook. "If Natsu and Fiore win the Gold medal this summer, Magnolia keeps the Fairies...If we lose, then you can sell the team."

The room was still silent, as all the men surrounding the meeting sat with vacant looks of concern. Michelle, on the other hand, slowly collected her relative's words, and then howled with uncontrollable laughter.

"AHAHA! Oh, dear Lucy, my sweet Big Sister...you always were the naive one! If Fiore somehow manages to win that stupid gold coin, you expect me to walk away from 100 Billion Jewel?"

"No." Lucy pleaded sensibly as she walked around Jean Luc to stare down her cousin at the head of the table face-to-face. "I expect you to keep the team, and make that money all on your own. Like Caprico said, Natsu Dragneel, my boyfriend is the most marketable face in the entire world right now. His agent has been setting up dozens of business deals with him; sports drinks, basketball shoes, cereals, every partnership you can think of...except _designer clothing_."

Michelle's arrogant smile turned into a serious frown. Lucy only barely held her cousin's curiosity, but now she had the infamous Imitatia's attention.

Lucy continued with her negotiation. "If we win, and Fiore basketball returns to its former glory, you have _The_ Natsu Dragneel as your personal employee in a newly charged FBA. That should be enough to strike a deal with his agent to use him as your star model for a new line of sports wear."

The blonde daughter of Jude Heartfilia held out her hand to shake with her cousin's, and confidently smiled as she tried to land her deal. "I can't promise he'll cooperate willingly, but I'll help loosen his nerves if you agree to keep his favorite team right here where it belongs."

Michelle took a few seconds to blink, then she looked across the room at the ticking clock. Her heart was racing ever since Lucy proposed her new deal, but her mind was only beginning to imagine the new fashion ideas she could put under the name of the red-hot _Salamander_.

Lady Imitatia rose from her chair, and took Lucy's hand with a forceful grin of her own. "My sweet Big Sister, Lucy...you have a deal."

* * *

The doors swung open, revealing a very tired Lucy as the other business figures waited inside the room to discuss the end of the meeting. Lucy let out a deep sigh, until she heard a chorus of voices ringing her way.

"LUCY! What happened in there!?" Levy McGarden yelled at her with bright eyes, while Gajeel stood next to her.

"Hurry and fess up, Blondie, or I'll go in there and wreck that trashy cousin of yours!" He raised his iron fist with a a face full of anger.

"Knock it off, guys." Gray tried to calm them down. "So is everything okay? You look like you just ran a marathon, Lucy."

"OHH PLEASE TELL ME MY BELOVED GRAY IS STAYING PUT IN TOWN! I CANNOT IMAGINE LOSING HIM TO THOSE BANDITS IN ALVAREZ!" Juvia latched onto Lucy's arm, and pleaded with her sworn Love rival.

The a pink haired point guard yelled past his friends. "Guys! Let her through, why don'tcha?!"

The group parted ways, revealing a cheery Nastu standing between a stern Laxus and a concerned Mirajane. Jellal was standing over by the wall with the goofy big-eyed mascot Happy, while Erza stepped forward with a determined attitude seeking new answers.

"Apologies for our rudeness, Lucy." Erza firmly admitted. "But we were all worried about you and the team. What is going to happen to the franchise now?"

It felt as if Lucy took years to concentrate on all her beloved friends. Every second in the world was not enough to collect their admiration and support for her in her time of need. The idea that each and every one of them were waiting out here to wish her luck in the meeting of a lifetime almost brought a new tear to her eye.

Instead, she simply smiled, and gave her pink-haired boyfriend a wink. "Eh, let's just say I learned a thing or two from a hot-headed Salamander."

* * *

**Lucy Heartfilia gets the job done like a mad businesswoman! Plus she had the support of her friends on the outside. This chapter works waaay better if you've read the first Hardwood Heroes. **

**Now we're all on the Olympic Road! I have a very busy week (and no internet currently) so things will be very slow on my end. Until next time!**


	20. 20 - Back to the Hardwood

**Author's Note: Oh my, apologies for the delay in my chapter release! **

**It's been a while. Summer job stuff, my weird internet that one day, my favorite game Elder Scrolls Online had a huge update, my old laptop broke (I bought my first MacBook too as a result!) I also finished binging _Avatar TLA_, ESPN's _The Last Dance_, the anime _Overlord_ (which was very dark...) and I watched the very powerful documentary _13th_. **

**ANYWAY, let me shut up, and let you all enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Twenty - Back to the Hardwood

* * *

"Well...I never really asked to own the team, you see? It-It was all kind of sudden...I never loved basketball that much, a-and, and Uncle Jude just figured I would be the best person to own the team after my sweet, adorable cousin turned him down."

Michelle Lobster, the world fashion icon, was utilizing her second greatest talent under the cameras that day—her tears.

Levy McGarden and Erza Scarlet sat either side of the human sprinkler, Michelle, as she continued to rain tears down on their shoulders. They were sitting in front of a Magnolia Fairies dropdown logo screen for a press conference, where she explained her situation the other day with the team's ownership to the rest of the world.

The new team owner continued through her own water works. "As a businesswoman, first and foremost, I never really think about local loyalty or fandom. My own clothing company was founded right here in town, but...Magnolia isn't my number one marketplace. H-How was I supposed to know they'd act all rebellious if I've never owned an FBA team before? Anyway, the current deal has been resolved, and I just hope that the good people of this city can accept my confused gesture over the course of this summer."

The newscasters in the audience were all teary-eyed as well, wiping each of their eyes down with tissues trying to find sympathy for the poor rookie owner as she pleased to her fan base for a second chance. Except for one interning news reporter with the FNN in the back of the conference hall.

"Yea, sure...blame the people of Magnolia for not buying your overly gaudy clothing." Lucy Heartfilia rolled her eyes as she remained the only person with a press pass on that resisted Michelle's tears. Several other news personnel did not utilize the same amount of strength.

"I'm sorry to hear the rest of the organization bullied you into trying to sell the team." One man came to Michelle's defense with a softball question. "There have been rumors that the buyer was Zeref Dragneel from Alvarez. Do you think Natsu Dragneel was secretly hoping for the team to be sold?"

Michelle choked up on her tears, then sneezed into a tissue as she tried answering that question. "No...not entirely, he loves this city...but I'm afraid he loves his brother just as much! Zeref Dragneel was the businessman at the other end of the deal. I'd be lying if I said he was not an influencing factor in my own decision making...when my late uncle signs a point guard for a historic deal, I need to make him happy as the new owner as much as I can...I hope I've done enough by holding on to the team for now!"

"AH HORSE CRAP!" Natsu Dragneel sat far away, inside the high-rise apartment of Jellal and Erza Fernandes on the other side of town as he ineffectively replied to Michelle through the TV screen. "She's the worst person I've ever heard on one of these lousy press conferences!"

The wife was currently at the press conference, but Jellal decided to play host for his fellow friends and teammates.

Gajeel sat at the other end of the living room as he took a sip from a beer bottle. "You're telling me...and I thought I always sounded the silliest on these things."

"Gray, my Darling?" Juvia asked cutely as she looked up to her boyfriend on the other side of the love seat couch. "You haven't said anything all afternoon...are you worried at all?"

Gray took a while to answer as he looked back at the TV with scornful eyes. "Nah, Juvia, just saving my breath. I can't waste anything on this lousy crap while I have other stuff on my mind."

Cana chuckled at that as she almost dropped her open bottle. "True that. You guys think you're ready for the Olympic Road? It's gonna be a tough one..."

"It will be." The host, Jellal, stood on the other side of his kitchen counter as he looked at the TV in the living room with everyone else. "But it's our road to take. This is our opportunity to defeat Zeref and save this city from losing its team."

Laxus nodded. "I've been pretty loyal to this town and fanbase, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even a little excited to get out of Magnolia for a few months. Let all this crap blow over while we go off and play overseas."

"I suppose that's an okay way of looking at it." Mirajane softly replied. "But what if we fail to win the Gold Medal? Lucy said that's the only way we can ensure that Michelle won't sell the Fairies."

"Lucy put her trust in us…in _me_…" Natsu leaned forward as his elbows rested over his knees. "We're not letting this crazy woman take our team away. Even if all five of us have to win the starting spots on the national team to make that happen."

"I doubt we'll have to do that." Gray admitted. "The rest of the league likes us too, they all respect Magnolia. The guys we made the national team with all respect us as individual players, too."

"No kidding, even that Cobra guy is starting to come around to Salamander." Gajeel cracked a smile as he scrolled through his phone. "It's like these pathetic losers think the league will fold if we leave."

"They have every reason to think up that possibility." Jellal shrugged. "Magnolia founded this sport and is the home to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Half the league and people involved with the sport in this country have some tie to this franchise. Even the national team coach is an alumnus to this organization."

Laxus never replied to that and stood as he looked down at Natsu. "So, what were Lucy's terms, again? Let's make sure we're all on the same plan before we fly out to Tenrou on Thursday."

Natsu's head was facing the ground as he decided to start tuning out the TV from his mind. "It's like Mira said. We win gold, Magnolia keeps the team. If we don't…"

He could not keep his eyes down for long, though. As he glanced up to catch a new graphic, a photo of his youthful older brother took the screen with a calming smirk.

Natsu felt his eyes begin to twitch as he tried to finish his point.

"Then I have to make a pretty big decision before this season starts."

* * *

The twelve new teammates for the X792 Fiore National Team were all warming up for a fresh new practice session on Tenrou Island. The national sports facility was swarming with Olympic talent from all over the sports spectrum, but the indoor gymnasium that housed FBA talent for Olympic Basketball did its best to stay focused on their own task at hand.

"All right, everybody, we want to see a full effort for today's practice. We only have two weeks until our departure for Era, so make every second count physically and mentally."

Erza Scarlet stood tall in front of the twelve athletes and held her arms crossed in front of her chest as she addressed the team.

Minerva Orland rolled her eyes and decided to add-on to that announcement. "And be sure to take the _mentally_ comment into account. We want a great effort, but no one needs to get injured during these next few weeks."

"Obviously they already know that, which is precisely why I never bothered mentioning it in the first place…" Erza kept her shoulders squared toward the team, but her furious eyes were now turned to look at her fellow assistant coach. "Player safety is the number one priority of any Olympic athletic program."

Minerva mirrored Erza's aggression from a distance. "Well judging by your usual limited vocabulary and lack-of articulation, I just assumed they needed a fresh translation. Apologies for trying to help my players."

The girls were inching closer to each other with rage building in their eyes as the players started to grow more and more uncomfortable.

Cobra from Cait Shelter smirked as he turned toward Jellal. "Damn, that wife of yours might as well bring some boxing gloves one of these days. She's ready to knock someone out."

"She's not the only one." Sting agreed from the other end of the bench. "Rogue, why don't you step in and calm M'Lady down for us before practice gets going?"

Rogue sunk his head down in a blushing anger as he ignored the other teammates laughing. The group was starting to get to know one another, but a few players were reserving their emotions.

Apart from the bizarrely quiet Natsu, Jura Neekus only provided a calming smile to the others as he continued to sip on a bottle of water. Laxus was near him on the far end of the bench and looked up to his elder center.

"Ya know, when other players call you a monster on the court, I try not to take it seriously. Now I might start believing them since I've never seen you laugh once while we've been here."

Jura gave Laxus a nod, but never turned to see him. "Quite similar to yourself, Young Dreyar. I can sense we both share a similar range of emotions. That is apart from your grandfather's blood running in your veins, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Laxus sat up, sounding one part intrigued, but also offended.

Jura was comfortable enough to carry on. "I've seen you share the same electric passion in your eyes as Makarov once did in his youth. I never saw Makarov play the game, but I studied footage of him growing up. He often found a perfect balance between passion and serenity both on and off the court."

"Yea, that is the Geezer in a nutshell…" Laxus took a drink from his own water as he rolled his eyes. "He gets the passion from the family, not sure where the serene part comes from, though…that always confused me about my Grandpa."

"Hmm…" Jura stroked his beard and stood with the arrival of a new figure to the court. "If I had to guess, it probably came from Makarov playing under _that_ man year after year."

Laxus noticed Precht Gaebolg had made it into the practice, and right away the team rose to their feet and circled the legendary basketball figure. Even Natsu, who remained silent all morning, joined the group with calmness in his eyes.

Coach Precht addressed his team. "Gentlemen. We have less than two-weeks before taking our spot on the Olympic stage. You each possess the individual talent and drive to achieve success for this nation, but it is now my job to mold you all together. We will create the greatest basketball team the sport has ever seen in the next few months, and each of you will adapt to play with one another."

The group nodded, and the legendary Coach Hades back away to the sideline as he grabbed a ball from the nearby rack. "Before working on any plays or rehearsing Olympic fundamentals, I'd like to see a scrimmage. I'll be changing the scrimmage line-ups every day, but I'll start with something simple for our first round…"

He looked at his assistants and pointed at both ends of the court. "Coach Fernandes and Coach Orland, you two will be our referees. Jura and Ichiya will sit with me, and substitute in on my command. No coaching whatsoever."

"Man." Ichiya nodded, and Jura silently obliged as well as he joined the head coach on the sideline. The player separated, and while a small amount of minor trash talking started up, Cobra addressed the entire room.

"Is it really fair to have all of them play as a whole on the same team? We better be getting both subs for this."

"Play." Hades reaffirmed as he looked to Erza at center court. She tossed the ball high in the air and backed away quickly as Laxus easily out jumped the power forward Bacchus Groh, securing team Magnolia the ball right away.

Natsu had the ball and took it toward the attacking end of the court as his team spread out with the defense. They players had all quickly adjusted to the altered paint lines for international play, which allowed the Salamander point-guard to quickly call out his own play.

He remained silent, but held his right index finger and thumb high in the air. The team moved at his remark, and Gray received a quick pass from Natsu at the right wing. Natsu then ran for the right corner and watched as Laxus positioned himself in the low post on their side. To the other side, Gajeel remained at the high post, while Jellal waited at the top of the key for Gray to see him.

Gray took command of the offense, and watched as the defensive players tried to mark their men, but the icy forward was quicker than he looked as he scanned his options. Lyon expected Natsu to receive the ball, but Natsu gave it to Gajeel on the left elbow, who then waited for Natsu to make a cut to the basket. Gajeel lofted a high pass to the Salamander and watched as his assist earned the game its first points.

"Impressive." Lyon laughed to himself. "You all seemed to have learned from your rookie head coach after all."

Gray smirked as the back-pedaled together to the beck court. "Just don't look so dumbfounded when we do it again next play, okay? I'd like to see a little more competition for that starting Small Forward spot."

"Then I'll make sure that you're standing right in front of me when I sink my shot, Gray." Lyon jested quickly. "Count on that, if you can."

Sting had the ball and shifted from one hand to the other. He looked to Lyon, but saw Gray's physical defense, and decided to pass off to a patient Cobra, who was now playing a guard position to the right perimeter. He waited lazily as Jellal provided defense, then passed back to Sting, who took the ball to the other side of the arc toward the middle.

He waited for Lyon to set a pick, the dashed around to the outside, quickly passing it off to Rogue around the low post. Rogue turned to put the ball up and was instantly fouled by the man of Black Steel, Gajeel.

"Gonna have ta stretch them shoulders out ta get beyond me, little Lyos." Gajeel teased the Saber City forward with his childhood birth name, which did not seem to sit too well with Rogue at the moment.

Rogue went to the line and took his first shot. He made the first free-throw, then missed the second. Bacchus went in to rebound under the rim, but Gajeel had timed his ascent perfectly with the shot and beat the God of Wine to the rebound as he dumped it quickly to Laxus, and let the Fairies drive it back down the court.

Laxus sent the ball to a mid-court Natsu, who only held the ball for a few seconds before passing it to a driving Gray, who put the pass in with a powerful dunk.

"Two in a row?" Gray looked to Natsu with a grin and high-fived his teammate. "Since when are you all about the selfless passes?"

"No kidding." Sting chuckled as he went to the end line. I was excited to see you fly from the free-throw line. Kind of a letdown, if ya ask me, Natsu."

"Don't wake the Dragon there, pretty boy." Cobra suggested to Sting. "You'll regret it the moment that fire turns on. Just askin' ta get burnt."

"He's a pretty wild guy, hehee...*_hic*_." Bacchus tried laughing, but barely noticed which side of the court held the ball. "Er, what way are we going, now? I'm a little more shaken and stirred today than usual."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "We're going this way. You look like you're about to hurl, though, which means you'll be heading to floor if you get one drop on me."

"Jura, replace Bacchus." Precht looked on, and let the elder Jura replace a passive Bacchus, who shrugged and slowly jogged to the sideline. Laxus's shoulders stiffened as the real center took the court and shuffled his feet with the league veteran as Eucliffe brought the ball down for his team's redemption.

Sting waved his hand, then directed Rogue and Cobra to shift their spots around. He passed it to an approaching Rogue at the elbow, then watched as the shadowy power forward delivered a quick backwards pass to Jura in the paint. Jura turned inward to deliver a dunk, but felt the determined Laxus right up against him. He instead smiled back and pivoted to send the ball out wide to an open Cobra in the corner.

Cobra side-stepped out from Jellal's slow defense and sent up a silky three to take the tie for his team, then smirked in front of Jellal. "Man! For how much money you put into treating those knees of yours, that was some lousy defense, ay Meteor Man?"

"He's just letting ya suck in some air." Gajeel retorted with a smile. "Just waitin' for that head of yours to fly into the ceiling like a balloon."

The others laughed loudly, but Natsu made no hesitation in his silent reply as he quickly drove the offense to the other side. He passed it off to Gray, then took an overlap to the corner as Gray commanded two new open triangle passing options.

Gray returned the favor and passed it back to Natsu at the corner, who pump-faked the ball to Laxus at the low-post, then hurled it across the paint to Gajeel at the other side of the court. Gajeel took a dribble, allowing Jellal to overlap to his left corner side, but the power forward chose to pass it low to Laxus under the rim, who ignored the layup above Jura, and rolled it back to Natsu.

The Salamander's usual instinct was to take that shot in the far corner of the court, but he instead gave it back to Gray, who found Jellal still open on the other side, and watch as the newly founded Meteor Man proved Cobra wrong by making a nice three of his own.

"Man, sucked the venom right out of ya that time, didn't he, Cobra? You gonna let him get away with that?" Gray japed at Cobra while the others howled with laughter, and quickly set up a new play for Sting and the others to come down.

Sting was starting to feel loose and began enjoying the light humor like the others. He did, however, notice that Natsu was still silent and serious for the duration of the game. Smiling with confidence as he held the ball at the point, Sting dribbled while looking at his direct opponent.

"Wow, you're really fighting for that starting PG spot, aren't ya, Natsu? Even tryin' ta play a different style of ball? I admire it, but it's kinda boring just watching you pass it so much…"

Sting ran swiftly forward as he drove the ball inward. "But if you don't turn into the Salamander soon, this game will be through! I'm not letting you take my spot from me just by changing your play-style!"

He went to make a pass, but found that Natsu had popped the ball out of his hands. The silently fast Salamander was already at the other end of the court, and dangling from his rim as he dunked the stolen ball through the hoop, delivering two more commanding points for his team.

Sting's face was as pale as his hair, while Rogue came up from behind. "Perhaps Cobra was right…just stop antagonizing him and let's stay in the game."

It failed to work so easily for the other team, though, as Natsu lit up in his performance from there. He passed it every other possession, but every time the fairy team had the ball, Nastu was the one who scored their points. He walked away with 30 of his team's 37 before Precht blew the whistle and called the scrimmage for the time being.

The players all walked off the court rather silently, and each took a bottle from the chairs as they collected their breaths and thoughts. Precht studied the team's uncomfortable behavior.

"Both teams today were made up of unbelievable talent, but only one side has trained and dedicated their time to being a real, unified team." Precht made sure they all heard his words. "Treat every opponent you see in Era like the Magnolia Fairies who played here, today."

Gajeel liked the sound of that, and shouted for the other to hear. "So did you guys enjoy getting your asses kicked, or what?"

"Eyy, come on now!" Bacchus yelled back, and stopped untying his shoes to give his teammate a laugh. "We have two weeks for some more rematches. The Games are only just beginning, my man."

"He's right." Cobra stood and looked at Gajeel with a sour grin. "We'll see who's joking when you're the guy Salamander drops 30 on, Metal Head."

The room was lit up with a few faint, awkward chuckles, until Sting stood from his chair, and tossed a towel over to Cobra.

"Well, you were right. I shoulda shut up about Natsu…looks like we all got burnt!"

Things grew impossibly quieter, until Natsu raised his head and candidly replied.

"Hehe, guess I just had a fire in my belly."

Everyone, including Natsu laughed and clapped from that remark, and as the point guard Eucliffe broke the tension, the players all started chatting about the performance, leaving the assistant coaches to smile with curious pride.

"Well, look at that." Erza nodded forward. "If they can all manage to get a long, then I suppose their coaches should too."

Minerva started to scoff, but remained standing beside Erza. "I suppose…I guess I can also admit that offense of yours is more impressive than I thought. The Fairy players knew it like clockwork."

"I'll take your words with thanks." Erza obliged. "Your defensive schemes were not half bad either. We may be able to win that medal as a team after all."

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia was sent to perform field research on Tenrou Island for her internship. Her internship mentor, Loke, also felt it would be healthy for her to get out of main-land Fiore for a while as long as her bizarre cousin stayed around.

Her eyes were lit up as wide as they could open as she wondered throughout the expansive outdoor training complex for the Fiore Olympic Committee. Most of the training and athletic exercise were done indoors inside weightlifting rooms and gymnasiums, but the Track and Field athletes were taking advantage of a gorgeous sunny day while they had it, and were all sprawled out over the sub-tropical sports park.

She had a simple "Team Fiore" purple polo shirt on, and a white skirt as she looked around at all the summer athletes trying to find the perfect place to start with her journalism.

"Man, this beats taking photos for yearbook back when I was in high school. This place is amazing! Look at all these athletes!"

"This is pretty intense." Loke walked with her, as his head broadcasting crew was setting up his stage for a special edition of the national news for that evening on Tenrou Island. Their set was being arranged at the main entrance of the complex, and the main broadcaster decided to join his intern on a stroll through the Fiore Olympic Park.

"I'm glad I took the offer to be the primetime host for the Olympics this year. This is a bigger opportunity than I realized." Loke wore a loose blue button up with short sleeves, and the top button undone. He also had white capri pants on and brown leisure shoes as he enjoyed his time away from the camera.

"Well you have been pretty successful in your own role." Lucy admitted kindly. "Maybe spending your first year under Karen helped you more than you thought. After this, your daytime show may even get a better spot on TV."

"Here's hoping!" He smiled back and looked down at his partner writing feverishly into her notebook. "Wow, you really are a thorough reporter, aren't you? Those are some heavy-duty notes."

"Duh! I need as much as possible to write my first story." Lucy beamed back to him as she tried to further admire the scene. "I already have a few working titles for my first article, and all I really need now is a few good interviews with some Team Fiore Athletes."

"Well if you need some help getting any of the female athletes' attention, just give me a heads up…" Loke turned away with a smirk as he lowered his glasses to look at a few track athletes stretching in the distance.

Lucy rolled her eyes but remained friendly. "Yea, I'm sure having you scare away potential interviews won't help me out, here." She then felt the need to further tease her unofficial boss. "But hold on, I thought Mr. Independent was staying away from women while he built his new career? Or was that just a lie to keep me as your intern?"

"Ahehehe…" Loke awkwardly laughed. "I mean, I'm not looking for anyone to date, but unfortunately I'm still me. I know what I like."

Lucy sighed. "That makes sense. It's a little sad to hear that you haven't found anyone you enjoy being with yet. You're pretty comfortable on first dates."

"Am I?" Loke perked up a bit as they passed over to the track and field complex. "I guess this is the most time I've ever spent around one of my ex-girlfriends."

Lucy felt a little annoyed that he chose to describe this situation like that, but she also knew it was mainly her fault for bringing it up. "I mean, it took me forever to realize you were just a lady's man while we dated. You always seemed interested in everything I had to say, you took me out to nice places, and always made me feel comfortable…at least for the first half of our relationship."

"Yea…then I sort of…" Loke was regretting bringing anything up, and the two stopped halfway on the track as they looked away from each other with their heads bent down.

An awkward silence took both their voices, which left room for one of the track officials to shot in their direction.

"CLEAR THE TRACK! NOW!"

Lucy and Loke both collectively gasped as a row of sprinters were rounding the corner and heading right for them along the home stretch of the course. Both journalists were frozen for a moment, until two great big arms grabbed them at their waists and picked them up off their feet.

"Hold on! I gotcha both!"

The large brute with fluffy white hair placed them both down on the infield and smiled widely. "Gotta be careful next time! You're not always gonna have a Real Man around to…oh hey! It's you guys!"

"Elfman!" Lucy lit up with delight as she hugged her former friend from high school and the Fairies. "It's been too long! You've been away from the team all year training."

"Boy I have!" Elfman raised his arms, which were now double their size since he left the Fairies. "I've been putting in a lot of hard work for the Summer Games!"

"No kidding, big guy." Loke seemed equally amused. "It's good ta see you, man. You always were the best athlete Magnolia U had."

Loke was a senior at Magnolia University when Elfman was a freshman, so the two briefly knew each other on the smaller sized college campus. "Hey Loke, good ta see you too! Man, I never expected to see either of you two here. What are the odds!"

They all laughed, but then Elfman remembered the former relationship the two reporters once held. Having gone to Highschool a few years before Lucy at Magnolia Heights, and having met Loke in college after leaving, he now felt a sense of confusion wash over his flustered face.

"Uuuh, so Lucy! How's Natsu doin'? Still as crazy as he used to be?"

"Uh y-yea!" Lucy quickly replied. "He's really great! He's here playing with the Fiore Basketball team, now!"

"Yea, Laxus told me they all made the team. I'm supposed to hang with them tonight up town. Maybe we'll see each other there!"

"That'd be fun!" Lucy patted her notebook. "I can get an interview from you for my new story. Maybe if we time it right, we can watch Loke on the news from his new set."

"Yea, I'm pretty excited about it." Loke rubbed the back of his head. "So Elfman, are you competing in all the field events, this year?"

"Yea, shotput, hammer throw, javelin, discus, all the big ones!" Elfman patted his chest. "It'll take a Real Man to bring home the Gold in all four, so I'm hoping to do just that!"

"Four Golds in the field might be a record for Fiore!" Lucy wrote that down on her paper. "That would be amazing for you!"

"Yea, but I also have to be a little honest with myself." Elfman laughed modestly. "My javelin is my best, but my other three still need some work to them. We'll at least have one Fiore athlete winning multiple Gold Medals, though, so I can't be too upset."

"Oh?" Loke looked around trying to scout for the person Elfman was referring to. "Who's our superstar, this year?"

"I think I found her…another Magnolia prodigy." Lucy smiled more as she turned to see the finish line of the track, were one female athlete darted well beyond the others to claim first in the practice trial.

"Yea, she's a beast!" Elfman cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey Coco! Get your manly butt over here! We got a surprise guest!"

"Oh Lucy!" The young athlete ran over in her Fiore practice gear as she leapt to greet Lucy with a hug. "It's great to see you! It seems like you graduated so long ago!"

"It's been a full year, now." Lucy smiled back. "A junior in high school competing in the Olympic Games. You might be the youngest in country history."

"I am!" Coco proudly replied. "Sixteen-years-old and competing in five events. Four sprints and long jump! My trainer suggested I leave high jump and pole vault out of it…we figured five events would be more manageable."

"Yea, one would be stressful for a regular athlete!" Loke admitted with support. "I hope you can do us proud."

"Coco will win her sprints for sure." Elfman patted her on the back. "That long jump has been on her mind a lot lately, though."

"Yea, I'm not too scared." Coco admitted honestly. "It's my favorite. I'm looking for more than a Gold in that one…I'm wanting the World Record!"

"Well I wish you the best of luck!" Lucy gently smiled back. "I'd love a more formal interview with you too before we all go to Era. We can have it some other time when you're both not training."

"Sounds good!" Coco sprinted back over to her starting spot as she waved energetically in her retreat. "Good seeing you again, Lucy!"

"Yea, I gotta head over now, too." Elfman sighed. "The shotputs probably miss me. We'll talk later for sure!"

"Right!" Lucy and Loke both waved simultaneously as they let the athletes wondered back over to their training spots. Lucy began writing more into her journal with wide open eyes, while Loke simply admired her from the side.

Loke raised an eyebrow. "You knew she was the youngest athlete in history, and the record number of medals won by individuals in Fiore?"

"Mmhm!" She proudly replied. "I don't mess around with researching the important facts and stats!"

"You're a total natural, ya know?" Loke was being honest. "I should just let ya have my primetime slot and take the behind-the-scenes stuff, myself."

"Ahaha, thanks, but the camera still scares me…plus you're just saying that to be nice." Lucy gave him a wink as she finished writing, then turned for the other end of the in-field. "Come on, let's go get a few camera shots of Elfman practicing. Only a few weeks before we head off to the Games!"

She grabbed his hand and led Loke over to the field events. The near-speechless veteran reporter simply looked down at the back of Lucy's head from behind as he calmly followed.

"Sounds good, Lucy…take your shot while you can…"

* * *

**1\. Michelle is playing with two-faces. Quite like her real FT counterpart, bu in a slightly different way.**

**2\. Okay, so when I wrote this game I was worried I was making Natsu sound a little out-of-character. Now since this is the dead center of a sequel story, there technically isn't anything wrong with him being a little OOC here as a more quiet and focused person. But I'd like to defend it all and say he's still in character. Natsu's emotions during the scrimmage were very similar to his anime reaction of seeing the new guild hall in the episode before the Battle of Fairy Tail arc. He's really quiet and angry there, but then cheers up once his mood changes (like when Sting makes the joke at the end of the game.)**

**3\. The scrimmage here was also heavily based on "The best game that Michael Jordan ever played in." It was during a practice with the '92 Olympic Dream Team in Monte Carlo. Lots of NBA all stars throwing around trash talk, and very good basketball. I'd highly suggest going to Youtube to watch the full 1hr documentary on the Dream Team for free, or at least looking up that Dream Team scrimmage (it's only 4 minutes long). The intensity and ego-sharing from those real life players is what I want my story's team to emulate. (The scrimmage scene is also partially narrated by a very funny Magic Johnson.) **

**4\. Lucy and Loke are meeting some Team USA athletes, and we reunite with Elfman! Plus Coco is here too! And here you probably thought I'd just keep the story focused on basketball...Okay, well maybe they were kind of just Easter eggs. It's still a story only about Bball, but look out for other stuff like this throughout the Olympic chapters.**

**5\. Loke seems to admire Lucy very much. Quite the interesting intern/mentor relationship. We'll see where that develops...until next time!**


	21. 21 - Destination: Era

**Author's Note: This chapter might be more entertaining if you've been reading the manga sequel to Fairy Tail, _100 Year Quest_. **

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One - Destination: _Era_

* * *

"Smile!"

"Blurghgh…"

Lucy snapped a spontaneous photograph of Natsu as the group of friends soared through the skies thirty thousand feet in the air, heading for their exciting destination.

Natsu collected his stomach after the shot was taken. "Geeze, don't waste all your shots on me…Lucy. You're gonna be exhausted by the time we land in Era."

"Oh relax." Lucy swiped through her recent photos taken and put a hand on her ill boyfriend's shoulder. "If you didn't want your picture taken, tell me in advance. I want as many shots as I can get for my report this summer."

"Just keep the pictures to the two of you, Lucy." Gray sat across from Natsu and Lucy in a booth as the entire Olympic team fit inside one Heartfilia private jet. Juvia leaned on his arm beside him and sighed with delight as she shut her eyes in comfort.

"Or maybe you can decide to take a picture of a _real_ romantic couple." She cooed with delight and tightened her grip on Gray's arm. "Make sure to get my good side though. I'd say the same about my icy hunk, but he's too good all over!"

"Yea, something tells me he's not going to have a good side with _that_ facial expression…" Lucy smirked as she looked up to notice Gray glaring out the port window. She did so until Juvia leaned forward with eyes lit on fire.

"What are you implying, you wretch!? Is Gray not as pretty as you'd like him to be?!"

"I don't think I'm saying that, no…" Lucy sighed, then scratched her head. "At least I hope I'm not saying that…I-I'm going to go get some pictures of the others."

Lucy swiftly left her seat, and while Juvia eyed her departure, she lowered her shoulders, and let out a ball of air from her lips.

"Oh, I was too rough on her…I should just accept the fact that the mere sight of Gray makes all other women passionately wild for him in a lustful fashion."

"Nah…" Natsu held his hands to his stomach, but leaned up to continue talking. "She's probably just gotta bad case of gas, or something. She'll calm down when we land."

"I don't think that's it…" Gray kept looking out the window, longing to be somewhere other than where he was. "Just think she needed a change in company."

Juvia never caught Gray's slighting words, and instead delivered a puzzled expression to Natsu. "So Natsu, is your little sister going to make it over for the competition?"

Natsu reclined his fluffy jet plane seat and tried to talk though his sweat and discomfort. "Yea, but she's coming in tomorrow...blugh…I'm hoping she won't miss those opening ceremony things, or whatever they're called…my Aunt P is bringing her in."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful." Juvia smiled. "Are they staying with Lucy in town for the month?"

"Nah…I think that freaky cousin of Lucy's bought a room for her and Levy…they have ta share a suite, or maybe it's the penthouse…I dunno…"

Juvia tensed up and started rubbing Gray's forearm with her palm. "I see, and how does she feel about the team staying in the Olympic Village? I hear your head coach was debating on having you stay with the other athletes, or just getting hotel rooms with the rest of us."

Natsu's head perked up a bit from its reclined position. "Huh? Oh yea, Hades wants us to stay in that athlete place. They ban alcohol, and the coaches are all there too. He thinks he can watch us all better if were on campus like a bunch of college kids."

Gray added on. "Yea, I'd rather just stay in a hotel, but the staff insisted. They only gave Jura, Ichiya, and Bacchus the option to choose since they're vets to this whole thing. Oddly enough all three chose to stay in the village. Seemed kinda like more of a young man's thing. Laxus might have been asked too…I think he's with Mira in a hotel."

"Y-Yes…that's what I've heard…hehe…" Juvia pulled her arm from Gray, and nervously started pushing her two index fingers together. "W-Well as long as it makes you all behave, I guess I can spend a few weeks without you in my bed."

"Hehe…" Natsu looked at a red-faced Gray. "I think he's sharing one with Lyon for the trip. Kinda cute if ya ask me."

"Beats your roommate, Natsu." Gray never gave Natsu his attention. "Gajeel snores like a medal grinder. I'm sure you two will keep each other up every night, and your next-door neighbors."

"At least we'll keep our clothes on, buddy!" Natsu tried leaning forward to yell further, but he felt the plane take a gust of turbulence and leaned back again as he tried holding his lips together.

Gray rolled his eyes, while Juvia let hers sink anxiously to the floor. _"Oh Gray…I wish it could be you and me clothes-less inside your room for the trip."_

Lucy had found Levy and Gajeel, and while the iron-headed forward was leaning against the jet window with a sleeping head, Levy put her book away to allow Lucy to join their company.

"I want to let Gajeel sleep the rest of the way, but he's starting to drool on the window...it's kind of embarrassing."

"Yea?" Lucy giggled back and pulled out her camera. "Don't tell him I took a picture…oh that's too funny." She then looked to her blue-haired friend. "So, are you happy your doctor let you make the trip?"

"Absolutely!" Levy nodded as her hands rested on her now slightly bulging stomach. "She said international travel is still pretty safe under 28 weeks, so I'm even good after the games end. Plus, Era really isn't much a flight since we kind of land lock it in the bay."

"True." Lucy nodded as she looked out a window to see rolling waves pass underneath them along the sea. The country of Era was technically apart of the continent Ishgar, but where western Ishgar was split into a giant bay, Era sat at the dead center as a large island in the middle of the inner sea.

The blonde college student then felt a bit of guilt cross over herself. "And you're not upset about staying with me and Michelle? She insisted that we room together, but I can only do it if I have someone close with me stay too."

"Not at all!" Levy leaned forward and took Lucy's hand. "I guess if Gajeel and Natsu can room together in the Olympic Village, we can do it uptown. Our room will probably be cleaner, anyway…and it'll smell better too!"

"Here's hoping, though Michelle does like her perfumes to be quite strong…" Lucy still felt bad about dragging Levy into her bizarre relationship with her even more bizarre cousin, but she knew Levy now had to deal with Michelle as a boss. In a way, she knew they could use each other to deal with the crazy.

Lucy leaned back out to the aisle and turned back to see Lyon and his girlfriend Medly joining her previous company. "I hope Natsu can keep his mouth shut. It's kind of weird, he never really said anything about having to stay in the village. I thought he'd be mad about having to be with Gajeel."

Levy shrugged. "I think they're all using it as a team-building thing. Jura and Ichiya are going to be two of the oldest athletes staying there, and they both agreed to do it. Plus, the coaches will be able to watch over them."

"I guess. "Lucy grinned with an eyebrow raised. "But it's not like they'd be able to do too much partying anyway. I heard they ban alcohol in the village."

"Ahehehe…" Levy awkwardly replied. "I dunno, you might want to do some more research there, little miss journalist. Have you ever heard the rumors about Olympic athletes during the Games?"

"What?" Lucy turned with curious eyes. "Are they usually big partiers, or something?"

"Uhh…" Levy tried leaning up for her next delivery. "They're like crazy famous for having huge parties, smuggling in alcohol…the Olympic committee even gives the athletes a…oh boy…_special_ care package for each athlete."

"Like what exactly?" Lucy originally had her pen and paper out to collect a new bit of spicy information, but now she felt a tingle of nerves climbing her spine.

Levy's face turned red as she leaned forward. "Oh man, I wish Cana were here…let's just say I was very confident and comfortable with letting Gajeel stay there, but I'm still going to check his gift bag just to be curious."

"Yea…oh yea I mean Natsu and I talked about it. I was the one that told him it'd be fine, haha!"

That was a lie. Lucy did have very positive things to say to Natsu about getting to stay in the famous Olympic Village, but now she wish she would have done less research on the athletes during their events, and more on their off-field antics.

On the other end of the plane cabin, were two people who had no real need to worry about bedding or strange roommates. Jellal and Erza were permitted to have a room together inside the Olympic Village, since they were both married and an athlete-coach duo.

Jellal wanted to let the excitement swell inside him like it did for his teammates, but he could not help but notice Erza growing more and more tense as they flew closer to Era.

"Maaann…" Ichiya sat across from the married couple with a calm look. "Your face is far too pretty to show such dismal emotion, Erza. Your parfum reeks of stressful concern."

"Ichiya is right." The Iron Rock Center, Jura Neekus shared the seat next to him. "You look worse than the Salamander does. Is something on your mind, Miss Fernandes?"

"No. I'm perfectly fine. I appreciate your concern though, thank you." She tried to give them both a believable smile. "I'm just expecting to see somebody once the Games begin."

Jellal looked right at his recently named wife. Erza had not seen her mother, Irene, in many years. They were both assistant coaches of two basketball teams competing in the Games, and both were very skilled at their trade.

Ichiya, however, did not buy her fib. "Perhaps dwelling on those that make you feel uncomfortable is the mistake. Remember you are surrounded by people here who care deeply about you, and through that, you may use their strength to get through your troubles."

Jura nodded. "When the time comes to reunite with this person, then accept it as a necessary evil. A fate that needs to happen. Gather your strength, and remember those behind you, and no one will hurt you otherwise."

"Wise words from wise men." Jellal raised a cup of coffee as he looked to the two across the booth. He then took Erza by the hand. "It's a good thing my wife is wise as well."

Erza locked her eyes on Jellal, then felt a warm wave flutter over her chest, quickly causing her to beam with delight at her favored husband. She now figured the eventual descent into Era might not be so bad after all.

And eventually it came. Those on board all clapped at the safe landing once they made it to the ground outside the famous international airport in Era. Natsu was clapping for an entirely different reason, however, and pushed through the jet's cabin to sprint down the landing steps and leap onto the tarmac.

"LAND!" Natsu cried as he pressed his face into the hot July tar on the landing strip and smiled with delight while his cheek sizzled and steamed under the heat. "It feels so good…I thought I'd never see you again."

"Hehe." Gajeel followed Lucy and Levy off the plane and yelled up to the blonde with a teasing remark. "Bet ya wish that moron looked at you once in a while the same way he does at that ground, ay Blondie?"

"Gajeel!" Levy turned to smack him, but Lucy simply shrugged, and delivered a wink for the clever power forward.

"Eh, he's your roommate for the next two weeks, remember? I'm sure you guys can talk all about it then." Lucy felt very proud about her retort, but then remembered what Levy mentioned about the room situation and the Olympic Village. As a bead of sweat rolled down her brow, she pulled out her smart phone and instantly tried researching everything she could find.

Juvia was also very nervous, but that was just in her nature as she wondered over the pavement to the main airport with Gray, Lyon, and her beloved cousin, Meldy.

"Gray, should we try to schedule our dinner plans for the remainder of the time that we're here? They say family and friends have very limited access into that village place, and I'm worried the games may take up the rest of our time together."

"Yea let's get settled in first, though. We can get lunch somewhere in town tomorrow and plane some stuff out before the ceremonies. Maybe Lyon and Meldy want to join us?"

"You flatter us, Gray." Lyon walked with Meldy's arm hooked with his. "I'm make sure to be a fine babysitter for you while we enjoy our time here."

"Awe." Meldy teased them both. "You guys are almost cuter than brothers. Apart from your hair I wouldn't be able to tell otherwise!"

"I guess, but we've only known each other for half our lives." Gray sounded honest. "I met him when I moved to Fiore. Been more of a rivalry than a friendship."

"How wonderful that you met, though." Juvia's worried face turned quickly into a smile and she rubbed her cheek to Gray strong arm. "And what a coincidence that Meldy and I would find you both!"

Meldy nodded. "I guess you are from Alegria, aren't you? I hear Natsu's all caught up in facing off against Alvarez, but I bet you have different plans with Alegria since you chose not to play for their national team, right?"

"You could say it like that, I guess…" Gray always thought he usually did a good job at getting his dislike for the Alegria players out during their FBA games vs Tartaros each season, but he felt a different sort of competition now that national pride and identity took the stage.

"Let's just say we know nothing about Alvarez, which makes losing to them a little better." Gray walked through the doors of the large, expansive airport as he led Juvia and the others in with him. "But we have no excuse if Alegria beats us. It'd be even more embarrassing since they announced their new coach for the national team, last week."

* * *

The basketball athletes from Fiore were now out of the airport, and after travelling across the wide cityscape of Era via special Olympic traffic lanes, the charter bus and series of limos made their way to the International Olympic Committee command center at the foot of the great rocky mountain jutting from the center of the city.

Era's sprawl was rather circular, since the land that it called home was a round volcanic island in the middle of Ishgar's_ Bay of Magic_. The center, however, was decorated with an octagonal ring that acted like a moat around a large, stone mountain that shot up well over the highest buildings in the skyline.

The _Olympic_ _Spire_ was topped with an octagon-shaped stadium that acted as the Olympics central stage for the Summer and Winter Games. During both seasons, the opening and closing ceremonies were held in its center, but for the summer edition it also housed the events for athletics, track, and field.

Eight spaced-out bridges reached over the moat of water surrounding the island to lead into the great rocky hall of the Olympic main ground, and at its foot was where teams and athletes needed to check in. Lucy required press credentials in the same building, however, so she followed the team into the headquarters for the introduction to fresh arrivals from the host team.

"Welcome to Era, young athletes! We are excited to have you all for this year's Grand Olympic Games!"

The man greeting people at one of the many desks was dressed in a bizarre white robe, apparently rather common in the city of Era for elder citizens. He had long grey hair, matched with a wizard's beard, but all of that was ignored as the approaching couple noticed an odd sight on the top of the old man's head.

"Haha!" Natsu pointed over to the man and howled loudly in the lobby of the great Olympic hall. "He has a little bat thing stuck to his head!"

"Natsu!" Lucy was already a little off after reading her phone and had no patience for his current immaturity. She smacked his hand to make the boy lower his rude remark and looked around to try and avoid any awkward glares. "You have to be more polite than usual. You're representing Fiore and the FBA here. It's different than just being an Olympic Athlete."

"Why?" Natsu shrugged. "We're all here to compete for gold, aren't we?"

"Natsu, a lot of Olympic athletes are just regular people out of season. You're a professional athlete who also happens to be competing with them. You're a public icon."

"Yes, and a rather famous one, at that." The old man with the affinity for bats made his way to the couple with a stern but calm face. His white robe appeared to be covering a regular green suit and tie, though once again most of that was made invisible due to the large beard and odd head piece.

"Welcome, Mr. Dragneel. My name is Org. I'm the General Director for the Olympics here in Era. It's a pleasure to see such a high-profile athlete such as yourself join us this year."

"Heh! Glad to be here too!" Natsu grinned widely and shook the man's hand. "Just came in to get my gift crap. I'll be looking for a meal and a bed after that!"

"Ahehe…" Lucy took him by the arm and gripped it tightly to stress her anger at her boyfriend's horrible manners. She then reached out to shake the man's hand as well. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm here covering the Games as a junior reporter for Fiore."

"Ah, Miss Heartfilia." He looked very sad to hear her name and kissed the top of her hand. "I have no way of describing how sorry I was when I discovered the news about your father, last month. It pains me that he could not be a part of this year's festivities. He and I were planning great expansions for the Olympic brand."

"Oh, you're really too kind." Her face was lit up brightly after hearing that remark. "Dad would be really happy to hear you say that. He was a workaholic, so I can only imagine how excited he was to work with your committee as well."

"Yes, well don't let me keep you too waiting." Org stepped out of the way and pointed over to a few separate stations. "Athletes can check in to any of those booths there, though it looks like some of your teammates have already discovered that. Miss Heartfilia, you will be looking to collect your press requirements at the office one floor up. Welcome, both of you, to Era."

"Thanks!" "Thank you!"

The young couple beamed with his departure and turned to see one another as they simultaneously tried collecting the captivating sight of all the athletes swarming into the lobby.

"Come on!" Natsu took her hand and ran in line. "Let's get my crap then head upstairs for your stuff. We can tour the grounds while they take my bags to the village!"

"Natsu, slow down…" Lucy reluctantly followed him over to the athlete booth to check in for his athlete perks, while her other hand still balanced her open phone to reveal more behind-the-scenes news that she never expected to see.

"H-Hey…if they give you some sort of gift bag up here, w-would you mind if I take a look inside for a bit?"

"Huh?" Natsu stopped at the end of the short line with one eyebrow raised. "Why, you wanna take all the cool goodies they give me for yourself?"

"No, just want to see what they give the athletes…and for that matter, _why_…" Lucy did not want to sound irrational, so she just decided to keep her mouth quiet while Natsu made it up to the front.

"Welcome to Era, sir…O-oh man, you're Natsu Dragneel!"

"Duh!" Natsu gave the man working the booth a high five. "Pretty wild you know who I am!"

"Why wouldn't I!? You're the biggest name here at this year's Games! I-I'm surprised you didn't have security come in with you, or something."

"Nah, they're over by the door. I figured a room full of other athletes and workers would be safe enough. Plus, I got my best bodyguard here with me!"

He took a now nervous Lucy by the hand and gave the clerk another smile. "This is my girlfriend, Lucy! She said something about me getting a gift bag or something!? Even being a pro athlete, I can't turn down free junk!"

"Oohh." The guy looked at the two of them, then noticed Lucy's face turning a soft shade of red as he tried to find a way to answer. "You get all that stuff in your room at the village. Designer _Heart-Kreuz_ athletic bags filled with gifts from the Olympic committee."

He then leaned forward and gave Natsu a wink. "And what _you two_ will be looking for should be in there as well. Enjoy the games, and good luck!"

"Thanks!" Natsu took his badge and key for access into the Olympic facilities, then got out of line. "He was pretty cool! I should have asked him if he saw my new shoe commercial!"

His partner's eyebrows raised upward. "I'd say he did…as have half of the people here, apparently."

Lucy and Natsu spent most of the time so far looking around at the upper scenery to the building, but now they found their gazes drifting lower at the feet of every athlete and working in the lobby. Flashy tennis shoes in all sorts of bright reds, whites, and yellows dotted the feet of the Olympic stars all over, which left Natsu happier with every second that passed.

"Haha NO WAY!" He grinned and pointed at one pair to their front. "Those are my _Salamanders_! He's wearing my shoes, Lucy!"

"Yes, he certainly is…" Lucy sighed, and tried to keep a hold of her crazed boyfriend's hand. "You certainly are a world-famous face already. I bet all the other athletes will want your autograph, men and women."

"Oh, you bet!" Natsu nudged her in the side as they walked over to the escalators heading up to the second floor. "Though, don't go getting jealous if I have a pack of girls around me all the time, alright?"

"Ugh, here's hoping that an _autograph_ is all they have on their mind…" Lucy was now starting to realize why Levy was so nervous to speak with her on the plane about what goes on at the Olympic Games. She tried to find a way to bring it up casually to Natsu as they made it to the escalator, but both halted as a loud shriek came from the far athlete check-in.

"OH MY GAAWWWWSH! NATSU!? IS THAT YOU, MY LOVE!?"

Natsu's head almost fell from his shoulders, and Lucy nearly jumped out of her shoes as a frantic girl ran up to the couple from behind.

She appeared to be an athlete representing Team Fiore based on her rather tight purple and white athletic suit, but that was barely noticeable due to her long flowing white hair twirled into curls at the back, and sharp green eyes. Eyes that appeared to sparkle like emeralds as they locked onto the famous Salamander from the FBA. Her head was also adorned with a silver tiara of sorts, embroidered by faux blue roses on either side.

"Ohhh! I knew you'd be here, but I never thought we would run into each other so soon! I have missed you so much, my dear sweet love!"

Lucy and Natsu were both half-turned around, each of them had eyes twitching with confusion.

"Uhm…Natsu? Who is this…?" Lucy squeaked out her question as her eyes could not leave the girl to their back.

"Ugh…." Natsu was now fully turned around and brought one finger up to scratch the top of his head. "I dunno, she might be one of them season ticket holders from Magnolia. Are you the mom that Gajeel threw the chair at last season?"

"Oh, you're still so playful with my emotions, after all these years!" Her eyes were fluttering with pink hearts, and her hands pressed up against her chest. "I can't expect anything less from you. I was your very first romance, after all."

She jumped forward and wrapped him with a tight embrace. "It's me, Touka! I graduated from Acalypha, last year!"

"Hey! I went there!" Natsu smiled with little brain power as he leaned back and looked at the girl again. "Did we meet on campus, or something!?"

"OGH!" The girl let go and turned around to hide her face as she tried to curb her emotional breakdown. Lucy was on the verge of having a breakdown, herself, after seeing how many wondering eyes were now looking their way.

"Um, Natsu, I think you might have dated her. This is a little awkward for all of us…i-it's nice to meet you, Touka? My name's Lucy."

The girl laughed it off quickly and straightened her headpiece back to face front. She then laughed into her hands. "Oh my, I can't go a second without thinking about Natsu, yet he can't remember me at all. I knew it was his empty head that made me fall in love with him in the first place."

She totally ignored Lucy and took Natsu's hand again. "I'm horribly embarrassed, but it's alright, my sweet. We shared each other as each of our first relationship back in college. You were my first boyfriend, I was your first girlfriend. It was destiny in the making!"

"Ah no, that can't be right!" Natsu waved it off as nonsense. "I only dated like two or three girls in college! And they were all only for like a week!"

"Natsu, I think she might be one of those girls…" Lucy's hand was now covering her frustrated eyes, and her mind was now growing into a headache. "Though I'm not sure why I'm even bothering to say anything. I'm totally being ignored by both parties, here."

Touka did manage to catch what Lucy said, however, and nodded feverishly as her rather thick black eyebrows raised up. "Yes! Yes, we dated our freshman year! You left early to pursue your dreams of becoming a professional basketball player! From there I worked myself to death in order to graduate as fast as I could. I just finished in my junior year and earned my degree in Sports Management in hopes of following you through your career!"

She turned around and smiled smugly as she tried to gather more of his attention. "I was also a student athlete, though, and now I dive for Team Fiore. My fiery passion, which I modeled after our love, fueled me to reach the top! It's nice to see that all my hard work has finally paid off!"

Natsu was still a few seconds delayed but gave her a cheery smile regardless. "Well hey! Congrats! Getting here for the Games is nothing to ignore! I'll have ta come and see your swim stuff later on!"

"She's a diver, not a swimmer." Lucy was almost done with the entire conversation as she let out the remaining air in her lungs. "But yea, with the lack of brain power here, maybe the two of you are perfect for each other."

Natsu put his arm around Lucy's shoulders, and gave Touka another fiery grin. "My girlfriend here knows the whole schedule for all the Olympic crap. We can come out together and see ya swim then!"

"Aghhh…!" Touka had done everything in her power to ignore the rude blond girl standing beside Natsu, and now discovered the worst as her eyes grew large. "Your…girlfriend…t-that sounds wonderful! I'd hate to impede on the two of your…whatever you call this relationship."

She took Natsu's hand again and looked him passionately in the eyes. "Until then, I'll wait for you in the Olympic Village. We can catch up _alone_ for old time's sake later. If you just tell me what room number you ended up get…"

"WE'RE LEAVING!" Lucy yanked Natsu through a crowd of people and forced her and her boyfriend onto the moving escalator to avoid talking to the crazy girl anymore.

Natsu was still slightly clueless, and instead waved down to her as the made their ascent upward. "Guess that means goodbye! See ya later, Tofu!"

He further chuckled to himself, then turned to his rather grumpy girlfriend. "Hehe, what's up your butt?"

Lucy ignored his sass and kept her eyes forward. "Oh, just trying to figure out whether I should be proud or angry at your brainless head. I think I'll need another day to make up my mind."

"Oh relax! I was just joking, down there!" Natsu kept his arm around her shoulders and rubbed the back of her head with his right hand. "I'll cheer ya up by giving ya whatever's in my giftbag in the room. It might be candy or something!"

"Eh, I already know what they're giving you…" Lucy's heart started to beat faster as her red face was mixed with both anger and angst. "I'll just let you figure out what to do with all of it, yourself."

Lucy was riding up to the top with her goofy boyfriend, all while trying to imagine how any of this could be any worse. Then, as their eyes crested over the top, Natsu pointed out a new group of interesting people.

"Hey it's Jellal and Erza! The coaches must have to come up here to get their passes!"

Once again, the blonde truly wanted to say something, anything but silence would have worked. Though, what the two innocent Fairies never expected was to see a fiery-eyed Coach Erza staring down another team's coach that could have passed for her doppelganger.

"N-Natsu?" Jellal was startled as he wanted to turn away from the two red haired women for any excuse. The point guard and his partner joined the trio, and suddenly Lucy found room to talk.

"H-Hey, gang…what's going on here?"

"Oh, some friends of yours from Magnolia, I take it." Said the shrewd woman with a silky smooth, feminine voice. Her hair was a slight shade darker than Erza's, but her eyes were almost identical, apart from the bitter anger held inside Erza's at the moment.

"Ah, Natsu and Lucy." Erza made her remark, but never turned to see her friends. "This is one of Alvarez's coaches, _Irene Belserion_. Unfortunately, she also happens to be my mother."

* * *

**1\. Yea yea, I know Touka is technically the cat/exceed, and the girl form is the White Mage. It works better for my story like this, though. But hey! I may or may not be using some characters from 100 Year Quest. Stay tuned to find more of them!**

**2\. Speaking of which, looks like Natsu has a former relationship flaring back up, and she's an athlete too! Oh boy, I wonder where this will go.**

**3\. If you want more information on the _stuff_ that's leaving Lucy and Levy nervous about Olympic athletes and the Village, just google behind the scenes stories from any Olympic Games. Pretty raunchy stuff!**

**4\. Aaaand we finish on a cliff hanger with an uncomfortable reunion. I'll have more next chapter whenever I can!**


	22. 22 - Setting the World Stage

**Author's Note: Let's see how some of our Olympic homies are doing after getting into Era. Also I'm re-watching the final season of Fairy Tail so I'm getting all these Alvarez characters pretty fresh in my mind! **

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two - Setting the World Stage

* * *

"Uhh?"

Natsu and Lucy both froze as they stood on the second floor of the very crowded Olympic headquarters building in downtown Era. Jellal stood back from his new wife, Erza, who had spent her recent moments glaring down the guest to their front.

Irene Belserion took the back of her fingers and brushed a wave of her crimson red hair upward. "Oh, what a rude way to introduce your friends and your mother. I knew you never had any respect for me, but at least try putting on an act of politeness for their sakes."

"Grr!" Erza stepped forward, but Jellal held her back by one arm before the two could make the second floor turn into a blood bath. She shook with rage in her husband's grip as her dearest mother filled in the remaining blanks.

"Very well, I suppose I'll just have to give myself the proper introduction. I'm the assistant coach of the Alvarez National Team. I work with the great August Vermillion, and beneath me is an interning senior from Vistarian College, Dimaria Yesta. Together we look to win Alvarez it's third basketball gold medal in a row."

"Ergh, you're with Alvarez!?" Natsu was now slowly mimicking Erza's fury, which led Lucy to hold out her hand to grab him by the arm as well.

The daughter confessed. "She's originally from Fiore. She played in the WFBA for a few years before marrying my father."

Irene rolled her eyes. "Ah, and I hope that wash-up fool is doing okay. I imagine you barely speak to him as well. Such a spiteful little daughter we raised."

"Well yea, judging by the way you talk to her, I'd talk the same way." Lucy stepped up with Natsu to share her own thoughts. "Erza's had one of the most successful careers the sport of basketball has ever seen. She was a college all-star for Hargeon, then became the first woman to ever win an FBA trophy as a coach."

"Did she?" Irene gawked. "And you think I had no prior knowledge of that, silly girl? I would have hoped that the daughter of the Magnolia Fairies former owner would have realized why she was hired in the first place. It was because of her _last _name, not her _first._"

Lucy and Jellal gasped, while Natsu's teeth were starting to bare fangs. Erza, meanwhile, kept her angry eyes down low.

Irene decided to further educate her surrounding company. "She was never good enough to make it into the WFBA as a player, herself, so she stole her father's playbook and tried to market herself as a star prospect rookie coach. She then landed on the most stacked team in Fiore history. From there the great Makarov Dreyar handed it over to her and set her up with the easiest job in the league. All because of her family name."

"Her leadership won us our most recent title." Jellal defended his spouse. "And she counseled Coach Dreyar her rookie year to help us win our first."

"Ignore her." Erza finally turned away and took Jellal by the hand. "I'm only wasting my energy here, and I'm putting my friends in an awkward position. We'll speak again on the court, mother. There, we can…"

"YOU'LL BE LUCKY TO EVEN CALL A PLAY ONCE WE BEAT YOUR TEAM SO BAD, LADY! NO ONE TALKS TO ERZA LIKE THAT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"Hmm?" Irene put a well-manicured finger to her pouty red lip, glossed with deep red lipstick. "Well I didn't want to say anything, but you must be the famous Salamander, after all. _Natsu Dragneel_. What an unexpected joy for me to find you, here."

Erza's eyes were open wide after that rage-filled outburst by her star point guard. Jellal and Lucy were taken back too, and none of them were now able to keep him from carrying on.

"Ya know? Everyone keeps telling me how famous I am, today." Natsu spoke through his teeth and never took his eyes off Irene. "Guess it's a good thing that all you people know me so well already, since I plan on winning Fiore that Gold medal. I'm not letting that crappy country of yours, or anyone else get in my way!"

"Oh, sporting a bit of racism, are we?" Irene teased. "No, I merely jest. I, myself, am originally from Fiore, as my lovely daughter previously mentioned."

"I could give a damn about you or Alvarez." Natsu ripped himself from Lucy's grip and walked forward. "I made a promise to someone really special to me that I'd beat Alvarez, or any other group that got in our way from making it to the top. This year's Games means more to me than it does to you or anyone else in this stupid building."

"I would not be so quick to believe that, young Salamander. You have no idea how deep our roster is…the power we possess as a dominant athletic powerhouse." Iren turned from the young group and located a few fellow Alvarez bodies coming her way.

"However, I enjoy keeping secrets, so I'll just let our talent reveal themselves to you here in the next few days. Fiore is set to take on Alvarez for Game 1 in the tournament. Enjoy the festivities until then."

"Irene, we have what we need." A tall, elderly man with a great wizard's beard, and large robed overcoat made his way to the crimson haired assistant. With him was a beautifully young blond woman with dark red eyes, and a smirking smile that made Irene's look friendly.

The old man tapped his walking stick on the ground, and never changed his facial expression to address the others. "We'll save our introduction for Sunday. Come."

Irene never replied, nor gave him a nod. She simply turned away and left the Fairies with a departing wave.

"A wonderful chat, Erza. We'll see each other Sunday."

Erza's head was lower than before, and while her eyes narrowed, a small drop fell from them as she looked down.

A hand settled on her left shoulder, and Natsu spoke from behind her.

"Don't worry, we'll get her back for ya."

"Natsu…" Erza looked back at him. She took a moment to collect herself, then wiped away her tears.

After showing a new smile, she gave Natsu a long hug, then followed by showing the same respect for Lucy. Finally, she kissed Jellal, then took his arm as she gave the other two a final nod.

"We all need to get some rest. We have a long two-week journey ahead of us, starting today."

* * *

Gray Fullbuster leaned to the side of his seat and put his chin on his hand as he stared at the floating ice in his glass of water. He was out for lunch in downtown Era, as he and some friends decided to fill their stomachs before parting ways for their respective lodging.

Juvia sat nervously beside him and watched him with nervous eyes as she tried to gage his emotional state. "Gray, dear. Are you feeling okay?"

"He looks hungry." Meldy teased as she put both elbows on the table and laid her chin on her hands. "I think he's about to eat all his ice just for an appetizer!"

"I may do the same." Lyon pulled on the collar of his mint green polo shirt as he looked around for service. "It's too hot in this restaurant to order anything warm, and the waitress hasn't come back with our actual drink orders, yet. Where in blazes did she run off to?"

"I'm so sorry if the service is bad!" Juvia pleaded swiftly. "The reviews said _9 Lives_ was the best restaurant in the city, and I was in the mood for something a little more upscale ever since we landed."

"No, he's not mad at you, Juvia!" Meldy held her cousin by the hand. "He's just nervous for this week, right, Lyon?"

"Yes, please don't worry your lovely little head, Juvia." Lyon calmly replied. "I can probably speak for our stubborn friend here as well. This is going to be quite the level of competition for us all."

"You can say that again. The Olympic tournament is some of the best basketball the world has to offer. Fiore always makes it out without winning the gold because the competition is so high, not because we're lousy."

"Well, we know Lucy and Erza will force Natsu and Jellal to head in early, tonight. I hope Yukino makes Sting and Rogue go to be early. I guess they're going out to eat with one of your coaches though, so I'm sure we have nothing to worry about from at least half the team."

"True." Juvia agreed. "The only person I'd be worried about is that Bacchus fellow, and maybe Gajeel. It's almost a little bizarre seeing so much talent playing on the same team as my beloved."

"It truly is." Lyon grinned as he looked out the window. "I don't wish to belittle our opponents, but I personally believe that the twelve men Precht and the committee chose for our roster are the greatest talents in all the FBA."

"All of Fiore, not the FBA." Gray sharply replied as he took kept his eyes looking out the daytime window.

"What?" Juvia felt surprised to hear him say that. "I feel the same way Lyon does, my Love. Do you not agree?"

Gray sighed. "Face it, only half our team has won a championship trophy in the FBA, and the five guys that did it for Magnolia only did so the past two years. There's only one team in Fiore history whose won four back-to-back titles in the FBA, and unlucky for us, none of them are from Fiore at all. Actually, they may be one of our opponents, this tournament…"

_*SLAM*_

Meldy jumped as someone's foot rudely ran into the leg of their table, and the four lunch mates looked up as a half-drunken man wonder by in a confident stupor.

"AHA! This place is so lousy, it deserves to be blown to smithereens! What a waste of time!"

"I can't speak to such extremes." Sade a slightly calmer voice from behind the man in their exit. "But the cuisine was not of a high quality. We'll have to share our business with other establishments for the duration of our stay."

"Geeze, and you ate all yours, Tempest!" The first man sharply replied as he rudely yelled for other tables to hear. "I almost threw mine up!"

"Quiet, Jackel. You're making a scene." Said a loud brute of a man coming from behind. "Find the exit, and get us out of here, at once."

"Why the hell should I?" Jackel turned around and got in the face of his large teammate. "Just because we're on the same national team doesn't mean you're still my captain, got that, asshole!"

"Speaking of the idiots." Gray finally let a smirk take his face as he turned from the window. "Just when things were starting to grow boring in here."

"Huh?" Jackel turned around and recognized the two Fiore men sitting inside the booth. "Well if it isn't Fullbuster and Vastia! Buncha Fiore goons coming out for lunch!"

"You call us goons, and yet you're the ones who rudely bumped into my girlfriend?" Lyon pulled Meldy into his side. "I should have expected we'd see you Tartaros fools here eventually."

"Not all of us play for that team, anymore. Some of us returned home to play in Alegria." Tempest turned to look at Jackal, who gave up his starting point-guard spot for the dynasty Tartaros Devil team after losing the finals game to Natsu and Magnolia two years prior.

Jackal was now fighting two separate fronts as he turned to his own teammate. "Watch your mouth, or I'll make that crappy lunch of yours come flyin' back out of it."

"I don't wish for any of my players to cause a sparring scene, Jackal. Leave at once!" The large man, now clearly identified as the Alegria team captain Torafuzer, pointed to the door.

"Whatever, just quit bothering all of us, will ya?" Gray gently draped his arm around Juvia's shoulders, and noticed her face was now the same shade of red as their bench cushion. "We're just tryin' to enjoy ourselves before tomorrow's festivities. I'm sure that movie villain head coach of yours probably has some back-ally meeting planned for you people sometime this evening."

"And who do _you_ plan to celebrate those festivities with, traitor?!" Jackal smirked and bent down to look at Gray. "You have some famous Alegrian blood runnin' through those veins of yours. How does that dad Silver feel about you swapping flags so easily?"

"The great Silver Fullbuster moved to Fiore on his own accord, Jackal." Torafuzer replied. "His son seems to be honoring his own code. Let him be, and let us leave."

"Psssh, whatever!" Jackal took Juvia's water and downed it in one go. He slammed the cup back on the table and marched toward the door. "We'll find those clowns on the court, that is if they can even make it out of Group A with Alvarez AHAHA!"

"Let me out of the booth, Juvia." Gray's arms were starting to swell, and his eyes were cold as steel. Juvia shook nervously and held his hand in a pleading grip.

"No, i-it's fine! I-I wasn't even thirsty anymore. I can get another one once the…"

"What she means to say, Gray, is that you're behaving too recklessly." Lyon shot back as he eyed Tartaros leaving the restaurant. "Let's not forget your own friend and teammate assaulted a man back in a Magnolia bar only a few months ago. Don't give Coach Hades any reason to send you home. We'll get those buffoons back one way or another."

"Yea, sure…" Gray felt slightly defeated, but slid his glass of water over to Juvia. He then watched as their waitress returned with what appeared to be the restaurant owner to check on their needs.

"I'm so sorry, are you folks alright?" The girl asked concernedly. "Those Alegrian players went way past their limit at the bar, earlier. We heard them bump your table from across the room."

"Lousy jerks." The old owner, whose bright orange hair almost looked like it hid cat ears underneath, shook his fist at the door. "I can't stand these stupid Olympic Games!"

"Grandfather!" The girl spoke back. "We can't be so rude in front of other athletes! I'm sorry I was late with your drinks; we'll bring you back your first round on the house."

"Thank you, Miss." Lyon suavely replied. "But we're quite alright with paying it. What was your name, again?"

"Oh, it's Michelia. My grandfather, Michello, is the restaurant owner."

"Yea…I've owned this place for over a decade." The small man replaced his hands-on top of his small walking stick. "I used to be a member of the International Olympic Committee, but then I grew sick of it and called in an early retirement. An old friend of mine suggested I get into the restaurant business, and here I am with _9 Lives_."

"Pretty similar to a place we got back home." Gray looked at the menu and logo for the establishment. "A former basketball player by the name of Yajima owns a place in Crocus called _8-Island_. He'll be in town for the Games as a basketball announcer."

"I know who he is, you ignorant brat!" Michello turned away as quickly as he could. "That fool was the one who told me to start this business in the first place! _Lousy athletes and their good for nothing arrogance. These stupid Games, I just can't believe they…"_

"Please ignore him, we'd love to see you all return while you're in town." The young granddaughter, Michelia, seemed much nicer than her familial employer as the feline owner mumbled to himself in his retreat.

Gray shrugged and looked at the others with agreement. "We're cool with it, as long as the food's tasty. We are here for two weeks, after all."

* * *

On the other side of town, outside a rather popular town ice-cream parlor, we find a scene of more familiar faces.

"Awe come on! Just try it!" Sting was holding up his spoon to his protesting girlfriend's face.

Yukino's head reared back as she blocked his advance. "Please no! I'm not a fan of mint in my desserts!"

"Oh whatever, stick to your boring vanilla…" Sting shrugged, and let up his tease as he took another bite of mint chocolate chip while looking across the table. "I'm surprised our fair lady is letting her basketball all-stars go out for a sweet treat before the big tournament."

Minerva Orland delicately shrugged as she politely took another spoonful of her mixed flavored bowl. "We have two days before the Games begin, right? I figured we can at least enjoy ourselves a little while we're across the world. Besides, this idea beats seeing the lot of you getting too drunk in a tavern for lunch."

She took another bite and nudged the person to her left. "It should also be noted that Rogue here was the one to suggest this little excursion. I was ready to head in for a nice trip to the Olympic Village spa. I haven't even seen my room yet."

Yukino replied first, since Sting kept his mouth full, and Rogue felt too nervous to say anything just yet. "I hope your rooms are all okay! I'll be staying with Meldy and Juvia for the month. I don't know Juvia very well, but she seems very nice."

"Yea, just don't go saying anything bad about Gray." Sting chuckled, then shrugged his shoulders with a laugh as he looked at Rogue. "Or for that matter, you might not want to say anything _good_ about him either, am I right, Rogue?"

"Um, oh yes. She can be very sharp-tongued." Rogue poked his chocolate treat awkwardly until Minerva rolled her eyes and took his spoon.

"Here. If you're going to suggest we all do this as a group, then you should at least have the decency to partake." She took the spoon to his mouth and force-fed him from there. "Honestly, you need a coach just for everyday activities."

"Pshhhhshsh…" Sting turned his face away to try and hide his laughter, while Yukino felt her face growing warmer.

"Oh my, that's one way to enjoy each other's company…" Yukino tried to return the conversation back to normal before Sting started picking on Rogue again. "Um, so Rogue? Why is it that you wanted to take us all out after lunch?"

"I thought it'd be nicer if we spent most of our downtime together…plus the little mascots the ice-cream parlor had in the window seemed very amusing to me. I like the little frog one."

"Um…I think that's a cat, buddy." Sting turned to look at the building's ad-covered window as he tried narrowing his eyes for a second analysis. "Or I dunno, maybe you're right. Is he a cat wearing some kinda frog suit…?"

"Well maybe we can go out shopping if the rest of you finish any time today." Minerva laid a napkin neatly inside her empty bowl, which totally baffled the others at the table.

"HOLY COW!" Sting nearly fell out of his seat. "You ate all six scoops of yours before anyone else finished! Talk about crazy dedication!"

"I'm not sure that's the best way to describe it." Minerva settled into her chair while the others finished their midday dessert. "But while we're speaking of dedication; why did the two of you wish to compete in these Games?"

"Huh?" Sting and Rogue simultaneously rang out as the latter spoke first. "To honor our country and sport, obviously."

"No, I mean your _personal _reasons." Minerva rolled her eyes at Rogue's simplicity. "The Salamander is trying to prove he can defeat Alvarez and win the Gold Medal for Magnolia. Gray Fullbuster wants to show the world that Fiore is his one true home. Jellal has a wife to impress, Gajeel's dating his boss who probably pressured him into it. All the veterans had their own reasons for returning…But why you two?"

The table grew silent, yet Yukino felt her ears growing figuratively larger as she also wished to hear the answer to this question. Finally, Sting dropped a spoon inside his empty bowl, and leaned back on his chair with his hands raised behind his head.

"Well I can't speak for the Frog lover, here, but I had a little chat with Lyon over the last few months. The only real reason he wanted to join the national team is because he wanted to prove that he was just as good, if not better than Gray. Right now, the Magnolia Fairies are the best team in the FBA, so all those guys are basically untouchable for the next year or so…but now that we're all on the same team, we have the chance to say we're just as good as they are, and maybe even beat some of them out for starting spots. It's a little friendly rivalry."

Sting then looked at a few Olympic billboards and posters lined up on some of the downtown buildings along the streets. Full building-sized displays of certain athletes dotted ads across the city, but one very broad picture of a familiar fiery pink-haired point guard took his vision in that moment.

"Natsu's one of my best friends, but he's also my rival, and a fierce competitor. If he's going to reach the top and be the best in the sport of basketball, then I want to challenge him for that same role."

Yukino's copper colored eyes were lit up like streetlights after hearing that confession, while Minerva felt a small smile grow from her lips. Rogue mimicked her and nodded as he turned to look at a reflection of himself in a nearby window.

"And I don't want to be stuck in Gajeel's shadow forever. I'm the best forward in the league. I want to give him just as much as a fight as he gives me."

"Quite admirable, for the both of you." Minerva nodded, then clapped her hands together. "Perhaps this calls for a second meal this evening when we're all done checking in. Maybe we can even share in a few alcoholic beverages together before the true show begins tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me!" Sting nodded but leaned forward to look Minerva right in the eye. "But before we go planning any parties…why did _you_ want to coach us?"

"Excuse me?" Minerva was caught off guard. "I was an FBA finalist head coach for one of the best teams in the league. The Fiore Olympic Committee and Coach Gaebolg personally asked me to be a part of their team."

"Right." Sting admitted. "But why'd you accept? Did your new co-worker have anything to do with it?"

"Gsh…" Minerva turned away with her arms crossed, which mildly sacred Yukino as she tried to back Sting up.

"Oh, Erza Scarlet is not a bad person, Minerva! Lucy introduced me to her not too long ago. She is very thoughtful and caring."

"As if I even care." Minerva's black eyes looked as sharp as obsidian now while she looked down to the street. "I've shared a relationship with that girl far more than any of her other friends."

"Yes, we know your two families go back." Rogue sighed, trying not to turn over to look at his date. "Both of your fathers are league legends, and the two of you played on the same college team. Then she beat you in the Finals, this past year…you want to prove you're better than she is, but you cannot compare that to the motivation shared by Sting and me to beat Natsu and Gajeel."

"What?!" Minerva's head turned to her other side in a sharp twist as she opened her eyes widely to scan Rogue. "And why is that exactly?"

Rogue let out another sigh, then looked her right in the eye. "Friendly rivalries and petty rivalries are not the same thing. Also, Erza does not share the same nasty level of competition that you do…she's only here to prove something to her mother."

"…" Minerva responded with total silence, then leaned back in her chair. She had noticed Erza growing more a more tense as the two weeks of practice carried on. She originally felt that she and her scarlet-haired rival were starting to grow more friendly to one another, but as they made their way into this recent week, the proud Coach Titania almost behaved like she was too good or too focused for Minerva's time.

Yukino was about to grow teary-eyed for the second time that sitting, while Sting simply slapped the table with both hands, and laughed out loud.

"HAH! Oh man, well I'm buying the first-round, tonight, if we chose to hang out like this again. You people are all too much fun!"

* * *

Finally, back inside the confines of the great Olympic Village, a very annoyed Gajeel was being followed by a loud as usual Natsu after locating their bags from the team charter bus earlier in the afternoon.

"Look at all this stuff! This place looks like a five-star resort! These building are awesome!" Natsu could not help but admire the high rising dormitory stacks that made up the grand village in the northern sector of the city Era.

The farthest north neighborhood was the main grounds for all the Olympic sporting venues, then to the side was a long and narrow stretch of property that buffered the Grand Olympic Park from the rest of Era to the east. This section was the Olympic Village, high-end housing for the greatest athletes in the world, and showcasing as their home for the next two weeks of competition.

It was also a very green neighborhood, since it only ever housed tenants every four two years for summer and winter editions of the Games. Natsu's eyes wondered up the side of every building he and Gajeel passed as they all looked half-decorated with relaxing athletes and dangling flags and banners that hung from balconies, honoring many different countries from around the world.

"So everyone just hangs their country flags from their porches like that? We need to go buy a Fiore flag and hang it from our place, man!"

"Just take one from an athlete out of a crappier sport. I'm sure the bowling bros won't mind if we steal some of their hardware, hehe…"

"No way, I want our own! Something big and flashy! It has ta show everyone that we're the real deal in this place! We want ta make Fiore look warm an inviting to everybody else!" Natsu waved at more crazed athletes from around the green park space as he tried to appear as friendly as possible. "Geeze, I know we're pro athletes, which is more than some of these other guys, but why are all these foreign people so familiar with us?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Gajeel scoffed. "I don't have some sissy shoe fan club like you do, you moron. Lousy commercial deals just make you look like a walking mannequin. I choose to let my game do my talking…"

"OH MY GOD! THAT'S BLACK STEEL GAJEEL!" Yelled one Team Fiore shouting from his balcony.

"YEA IT IS!" Cried another. "LET'S GO OUT FOR KARAOKE LATER TONIGHT, BLACK STEEL!?"

"Heehee…" Natsu teased from the back of the pack as he looked up at his friend. "Ya let your game do the talking and the _singing_ is more like it."

"Agh, shut up!" Gajeel turned sharply for their building, which was nearly full of Fiore flags up the side as he grabbed the door handle to their entrance. "Where the hell is Blondie when you need her? I can't say I enjoy her any more than you, but she at least knows how to shut you up."

They rose through a long elevator ride and emerged on the top floor of the high-rising apartment complex. The Olympic village subdivides their sections by countries, starting with some of the larger countries first, then the smaller. Fiore was a middle-sized land, but they were some of the fiercest Olympians in the games. This gave them one of the nicest buildings every tournament, and the more high-profile your sport, the better your view of the city.

"NO WAY!" Natsu jumped up and down outside his room door. "We got penthouse access!"

"We're professional basketball players, you idiot." Gajeel swiped the key to his door and opened the lock. "Ya think they give the good rooms to the horse riding people?

When they found their way inside, Natsu realized just what it meant to be a world-class athlete. The room looked as nice as his luxury apartment room back in Magnolia, but only if a maid came around 24/7 to clean it up and make it look commercial ready.

The best part was the crystal-clear view of the beautiful Era skyline that stretched behind their living room, which flanked into two separate wings giving Natsu and Gajeel separate bedrooms. Their balcony also looked down into the courtyard space of the village.

"Thank god." Gajeel walked over and tossed his things into the left room. "I didn't need you as a roommate, but I can at least deal with a situation like this."

"Hey, I'm not going to enjoy this either, pal. Just tryin' ta make the best of a bad situation. Plus, Lucy and Levy are such good friends, so the least we can do is be nice to each other for them."

"Oh whatever, Salamander…hey looks like we got some fancy gift bag." Gajeel noticed his freshly made bed lined with designer throw pillows was decorated at the foot with clean white towels, and a complimentary sports bag chock full of gifts from their hosts.

"Oh yea!" Natsu tossed his stuff down and shouted through the doors over to Gajeel as he dumped the contents of his gift out on his own king-sized bed. "Lucy said those Olympic guys give us free stuff! I wonder what made her so freaked out when she said goodbye to me at the main gate…?"

Natsu stopped in mid-sentence as the array of athletic drinks, granola bars, gift cards, and fresh Olympic-brand clothing landed on the floor. All of that, however, was buried under a small mountain of the last thing Natsu expected to receive as a complimentary gift.

"U-uhh." Natsu's eyes started to twitch as he looked at his covered bed. "Hey Gajeel…you seein' what I'm seein'?"

"I dunno." Gajeel yelled back calmly. "Was your bag full of condoms too?"

Natsu looked back down at his free stuff, which was buried under what appeared to be around 40 or so prophylactic condoms, decorated with a special Olympic packaging. He picked a few up, then let out a laugh.

"Heehee. I wonder if they have any of those goofy rings on them…awe man, never mind." The grown child tossed the freshly opened item into his bathroom trashcan and went back into the common room. "Geeze, they think we're going to be in the room the whole time, or something? You'd have to be getting' pretty busy to use all those things up!"

"I dunno." Gajeel wondered out of his room in one of the new t-shirts gifted to him from the bag as he landed on the couch. "I hear this place gets pretty crazy. Lots of boozing and hook-ups. Kind of like a college campus for all good lookin' people."

"Really?" Natsu's ears perked up as he looked out the window at all the newly arriving Olympic athletes occupying the green courtyard. "I thought we weren't even allowed to have alcohol?"

"Beats me." Gajeel flashed through the local TV channels as he stared at the screen. "Maybe if ya get one of those big obnoxious flags like you were talking about, we can bump up our cred and host a real big rager right here in our room. I'm sure Lucy will appreciate that, hehe. Or at least she'll be thankful for all those new little toys you got in that bag of yours."

"No way she would!" Natsu mindlessly argued back as he remembered how many condoms were inside the giftbag. "I mean not _THAT _many times, at least! You'd have to be a crazy person if you wanted to hook up with somebody that badly in only two weeks!"

"_NATSU!_ I THOUGHT I HEARD YOUR VOICE IN THERE, MY LOVE!" A slam came over their door as a girl's voice yelled through the hallway. "I'M ONE FLOOR DOWN, JUST BELOW YOUR BALCONY! WHAT A ROMANTIC COINCIDENCE!"

"AGH!" Natsu's face turned pale as he ran to the front door and swiped all the locks on as he peeped through the sight hole. "Oh no, it's that crazy Tonka girl! How the hell did she know what room I was in!?"

"Well I was gonna say it's because your voice is more annoying than hers, but now I'm not so sure about that…" Gajeel picked his ear clean with his pinky as he flicked it over to the bay window as the girl continued to yell and strike the door from the hallway. "Plus, you left the screen door open to the balcony. She must have heard us talkin' and rushed up here ta get an autograph or something."

"Nope, I don't think that's what she wants…" Nastu's slid down to the floor as he leaned on the door. "But now I know what Lucy meant when she made that same joke to me earlier…and after seeing all those condoms the freaky Olympic guys gave us, I know why this girl wanted to see me alone!"

The pounding on the door eventually faded, and the fearful yelling from outside turned into delicate pleas as Touka wonder back down the hallway.

_"Alright, I'm terribly sorry for bothering you like that, Natsu…I'll just leave my room and phone number here in case you wake up…and start feeling lonely_."

A piece of paper slid into Natsu's backside from beneath the doorway as the girl left for the elevator. Natsu took the paper, then crumpled it up as he walked slowly into his room.

"I'm takin' a nap. Wake me up when the opening ceremonies start."

"Those are tomorrow, dumbass." Gajeel smirked as he finally found something interesting come on the television. "But okay, have it your way, lover boy. Heehee…"

* * *

**1\. Irene is savage. Quite the _Scarlet Despair_. Natsu and the others won't back down, though. Sawa. little bit of August and Dimaria too...**

**2\. Gray and co. have reunited with Tartaros, though now they all play for Alegria's National Team. Plus Michello and granddaughter are here. More little FT Easter eggs!**

**3\. I wrote the first half of this chapter, then thought about what to do next. Then I thought about Sting and his gang! I think the Sabertooth scene was good enough as a result. Rogue's sucha goof.**

**4\. Gajeel and Natsu experience full Olympic treatment in the Village, then Natsu's biggest fan shows back up...onto the ceremonies next time! **


	23. 23: The Opening Ceremony

**Author's Note: The longest chapter to date, I believe. Maybe not...enjoy!**

**Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three - The Opening Ceremony

* * *

The cameras were flashing while the press room was filling inside the great conference center of the Olympic headquarters in downtown Era. It was now the morning of the X792 Olympic Opening Ceremony, which was set to start later that Saturday evening. Tomorrow morning, the Games would begin, and Game 1 of the Men's basketball tournament would commence with a well-awaited match-up.

"Alright, Coach Gaebolg and the Fiore National team are ready for questions." One of the room officials gave the green-light to dozens of reporters packed inside the pressroom, one of which was a rather inexperienced yet determined intern, Lucy Heartfilia.

A random reporter from Fiore started things off. "Coach, you spend so much time fine-tuning your Olympic roster, then it comes to be that your first opponent is against the Gold Medal Alvarez team. Did you anticipate this match-up early on, and is that why you amassed the level of talent that you did from the FBA?"

Precht's stone cold expression nearly answered the question for him, but he was obligated to provide a more verbal response. "If I knew what opponents we would match up against in the group stage, I would have won a Gold medal every year of my international coaching career thus far."

The room laughed, but none more than the players roared as loudly at that jape from the commanding Coach Hades. The reporter responsible leaned back in his chair with a look of self-disappointment, and left time for another to take their turn.

"Jura, you've been on this national squad more than any Fiore player in history. Would you say this is the most impressive group you've been with?"

"Hmm…" Jura combed his long beard for a moment before leaning into his microphone. "I suppose I have been with this team for a while. This is set to be my fourth and probably final Olympic Games...I'd say I feel very honored and blessed to share this moment with the ladies and gentlemen on this team. From our coaches, trainers, and my fellow players. We hold a rather strong bond heading into tomorrow's competition, win or lose."

The reporters took time to write their notes down, while another spoke up. "Laxus, you come from a rather royal family in the FBA, what was your reaction when the entire starting line-up for Magnolia made this team?"

Laxus kept his arms folded and laughed to himself. "I thought 'that seems about right.' There's a reason our team won back to back titles in the FBA. Not to take away anything from my fellow teammates who aren't from Magnolia though…"

He was looking at a now smiling Jura, but all the Fiore players busted out laughing from the jest as Cobra took his own mic.

"He's just tryin' ta throw shade while he can, but Magnolia ain't winning that trophy next season."

More laughter filled the room, then settled as a new question was thrown out. "Gray Fullbuster, can you talk about your connection to Alegria, and how you feel about choosing Fiore over your home country?"

Gray paused for a moment, then put the mic to his mouth. "Uhh, last time I was in Alegria, I was trying to learn my ABCs, so I don't really…"

His teammates interrupted him with a series of laughs, but Gray waved them down as he shrugged his shoulders. "No, I'll be serious. The first person I talked about it with was my dad. He gave me his blessing, and thought it was the right move. Natsu and the others had my back too. They probably woulda killed me if I didn't try out for Fiore's team."

"Speaking of Natsu!" One person yelled out. "What are your thoughts about playing Alvarez, first? There are still the rumors about the Fairies being sold to your brother overseas. Do you think that will happen?"

"No Alvarez questions for me, please." Natsu leaned forward. "I'll just say tomorrow is going to be a win for us, and if we happen to play them again in the final game, then I'll put all those rumors to bed then."

"Even the rumors about another Dragneel on the Alvarez squad? They say one of the players is going to be…"

A hush fell over the crowd, and Natsu's eyes grew very wide at hearing that, until a blonde report from FNN cleared her throat loudly.

"Uh-hem, I think what he's talking about is the news of Alvarez's _Larcade Dragneel_ making the team, Natsu. How do you feel about your cousin making their team?"

Natsu's eyes met Lucy as she finished her question from the back of the room. Lucy knew that Natsu's first cousin, Larcade, was on Alvarez's roster, and despite the fact that the coaches from Alvarez were primarily keeping their full team a secret, some reporters heard rumors about a Dragneel showdown.

Natsu scoffed. "Oh yea, they say we'll see some Dragneel family battle. Look, I haven't really seen my goofy cousin in years. He's…eh, I'll just say we're gonna beat Alvarez, that's all I'm stickin' with."

Lucy leaned back in her chair and sighed to herself as she let a small bit of guilt take her mind. _"That was close. I heard rumors about a Dragneel playing for Alvarez, and something tells me Larcade isn't going to be the only one doing it…if Zeref's playing in the Olympics, I'd like to be the one to break that to Natsu."_

"How about a word from Black Steel!" One cocky reporter rang out. "You've been quiet about the first game. What are your thoughts on Alvarez?"

FBA players were very famous for having to put up with lousy press reports, but no one hated going through these monotonous conferences more than Gajeel Redfox. The smart mouthed Power Forward felt now would be a good time to keep up his witty reputation and leaned forward with a smirking face.

"I don't know a thing about Alvarez, but I do know that we're gonna beat 'em. Simple as that."

* * *

The conference continued to share laughter and ridiculous answers from there, and eventually all the players and people left the room to carry on with the rest of the Olympics' opening day.

Natsu and Gray were leaving the grounds together, and while the fiery Salamander stopped to gather some autographs from fans waiting outside the hall, Gray looked around the reporters gathers outside the main door.

"Man, did Lucy ditch us? I thought we'd all go out for lunch before we split for the evening."

"Nah man, she's super busy, today." Natsu gave some very patient fans high-fives as he left with Gray. "I think she has ta help Loke with stupid work stuff, or something."

"Geeze, and you're okay with that?" Gray asked with concern. "I mean, I'm not trying to make it sound like you should lord over your girlfriend, but I'm just curious."

"I dunno…" Natsu and Gray were making it over to the door. "I've barely talked with him. I just keep my nose out of it since she's trying to get her degree. I don't wanna ruin her big shot with my outbursts."

"Wow, pretty mature of you." Gray looked genuinely impressed with his rambunctious friend as he opened the hall doors to the outside. "Guess you are getting older."

"Watch it, now." Natsu put on some sunglasses as they made it outside for the gorgeous sunny day in Era. "I was about to invite ya out for a round of golf with the big devil, but not if you keep talkin' like that."

"What? You and Hades?" Gray looked stunned as Natsu wondered over to a pre-parked limousine. "Are you two super chummy now, or something?"

"Dunno!" Natsu gestured for Gray to get in the back seat with him. "He invited me and Laxus to a round before the opening ceremony stuff. I doubt he'll mind if ya tag along!"

Gray realized that he left Juvia alone to catch up with Meldy and Yukino, then gave his old friend and shrugged as he followed Natsu into the back seat and drove off for a round of mid-day golf with the others.

* * *

The sun over Era was beginning to do down on that late Saturday afternoon. The great Olympic stadium was starting to fill with spectators and sports fans from all over the surface of Earth-Land. Major news networks were setting up their booths and starting pre-game discussions, none more professional than the Fiore News Network.

Lucy was with that same crew as they claimed one of the best spots in the entire Olympic Spire. She spent most of her time looking out over the railing at the thousands of fans from around the world take their seats and felt her skin tingle as she anticipated the great opening ceremony to begin any time within the hour.

Sadly, she also had her current job to perform, which was already starting to turn downhill as he first suggested interview guest was forced to bail at the very last second.

"And you think she's okay? I'd hate to begin the Olympics with that kind of news for Fiore."

Lucy tried to calm down Loke between a long commercial segment as she nodded her head. "Yes! Levy is fine. She's just really tired after the flight. Gajeel also sent me a text saying she's A-Okay. They're just waiting in her hotel room until the ceremonies."

"That's good to hear." Replied Loke's co-star, Karen Lilica, from the other end of the desk as she primped her lush green hair. "But that interview was set to be our main story of the pre-show. We still have one segment left before the Opening Ceremony begins. Filling it with the legendary GM who leads half of Fiore's Olympic roster would have been nice."

"I know, she said she feels really bad!" Lucy pleaded with the newscast as much as possible. "We could try to get my friend Coco's parents? She's the youngest Olympian here, that may make a good enough story!"

"We're saving to reach out to them until after she wins her first event." Loke admitted. "We know she's a shoo-in to win the 100-meter sprint, so we don't want to overload the audience with the same stories twice."

Karen laughed to herself, then gave the two a smirk. "We could get that ditsy cousin of yours to come in early, Lucy? She's supposed to be our guest-anchor and fashion correspondent for the Parade of Nations. Just get her on the phone."

"Yea, you probably don't want to do that…" Lucy remembered how Michelle would not be quiet all afternoon about her extra-long bubble bath before the ceremonies, and knew interrupting her any earlier than needed would not go well for her personally.

Lucy's main goal for the Olympics were of course to see Natsu as much as possible, and cover Team Fiore as best as she could. However, since Michelle was still threatening to sell the Fairies to Alvarez, and since her relationship with her beloved cousin was at best referred to as 'delicate', she felt like not bothering the girl would be in her best interests.

Loke stopped the two women there, though, and turned to give Lucy a smile. "Fine, then let's get the cousin of the Fairies' owner instead. I think she's an intern for us this summer. I wonder if she's free to…?"

"ME!?" Lucy gasped as she nearly dropped her clipboard containing Loke's schedule for the next few days. "What interesting stuff would I have to say!?"

"I dunno…" Karen was also intrigued with that idea but shrugged as she waved to her camera crew. "But you better make up your mind quick before the green light turns on."

"Oh please, Lucy!" Loke gave her a sincere smile as he took her hands before the cameras turned back on. "I'll do anything that you want for the next two weeks if you just give this a shot!"

"Absolutely not!" Lucy put her foot down and turned away from the crew. "I'm not embarrassing myself on this kind of stage just to keep a job! I've said time and time again my best work is in the field and in the form of writing, not behind some camera with a fake smile and half-interesting things to say!"

"And we're glad to welcome you all back to our home for the next two weeks, as Team Fiore is here inside the golden city of Era. As stated earlier, Karen and I will be your primary hosts for the duration of these Games, and we wish to welcome you into our pre-ceremony celebration here at FNN. This pre-game show is presented as always by _Lacrima Software_, _Heartfilia Airlines_, and clothing by _Michelle Lobster_.

A rather playful smile took Loke's face as he swiveled in his chair, then followed with a wink to his off-camera crew as he looked right at his summer intern.

"Well we've just heard from Magnolia Fairies GM and basketball fan, Levy McGarden, who was going to grace us with her awesome presence for the last segment leading into our coverage of the Opening Ceremonies. But unfortunately, she has to take one more night of rest in her hotel room due to some extra-long jetlag, so she will not be able to make it to the desk, tonight. Miss McGarden is expecting twins this fall, so we're willing to give her a few extra days of rest while she visits Era with her team. In the meantime, we have a stand-in guest waiting right here in the wings!"

He turned to a different camera that shared the lens with an empty seat. "Coincidentally, Levy McGarden's best friend is one of our extra special summer interns here at FNN, and she also happens to be the daughter of the late former Fairies owner, Jude Heartfilia. Please welcome a member of our broadcast team, Lucy Heartfilia!"

The extremely timid blonde had no choice but to take a seat beside her old friend Loke, whom she now wished to push over the stadium railing to their backs as fans filled up the Olympic Spire in the background. Lucy shook with overly nervous bones as she slid onto her chair and gave the two hosts her attention.

"U-um…thanks…thank you for having me on, guys. This is great! ehehe…"

Loke took control as he tried easing her into her role. "Lucy's been our main correspondent for Team Fiore thus far, and she's had the chance to talk with athletes all across our Olympic roster. Of course, most of her loyalties lie with her favorite sport of basketball, where five members of her cousin's championship Fairies team will be competing for gold, including her very close long-time friend, Natsu Dragneel."

"Yes, he does…" Lucy still felt awkward, but less so when talking about people other than herself. "Natsu and the Fiore basketball team seem pretty pumped to compete tomorrow…er, as do the other athletes, obviously!"

"So Lucy," Loke adjusted his glasses as he read from a fake script. "You've put in a lot of research work for this year's Games, and for our network, so far. What are some of your predictions for Team Fiore across the board, this year?"

Lucy noticed she had the full attention of Loke and Karen, then let out another sigh as she tried to reply honestly. "Well, I'm expecting to see some pretty good things, actually. A few of my former classmates from my high school back in Magnolia are competing in events for Track and Field. Elfman Strauss is competing in four field events and will probably win Gold in javelin. Then my other friend, Coco Cracy, is actually set to become the youngest Olympian in Games history."

"So we've heard." Loke smiled at her while he looked at his sheet of paper. "Age 16, and she's already competing in 5 events."

Lucy nodded. "She's expecting to dominate the sprinting events, but her personal goal is to set a world record in the women's long jump. I'll be rooting for her every step of the way while I'm here in Era."

"Ah, with front row press seats, I imagine." Karen gave her a smile as she too looked down at scribbles on her paper. "Can I just say, for all of our interns, you are without a doubt the best dressed in the group! I just have to believe that fashion runs wide in your family at this point."

"O-Oh yea, well thank you!" Lucy treaded very lightly through the next watery set of dangerous questions. "My cousin, Michelle, is quite the icon. I-I usually get most of my fashion tips from her…ehm, I guess it's no wonder why she was able to afford running the Fairies after my father passed away."

"Mhmm." Loke nodded slowly, as he did not want to dwell on that fact for very long. "News of which was not taken lightly here at the network, or across the FBA. I can personally say that you've really shined as one of our interns this year, and we're glad to have you on our team."

"Well thank you." Lucy's face flushed with several different shades of red as she looked at her co-anchors, and around at the entire spectacle that was the Olympic stadium. "I'm just hoping Team Fiore can bring home as many Gold Medals as possible, especially the one for Men's Basketball."

"I think we all have to agree with you on that one." Loke clicked his pen on the desk as he turned back to Camera 1. "The three of us will be right back with more stories before we kick off here in Era. Stay tuned to hear Lucy's take on Team Fiore's first match against the former Alvarez Empire when we return, and be sure to catch her cousin, and current FBA owner, Michelle Lobster as our guest star anchor for the Opening Ceremony, brought to you by _ManderAid: for athletes that need a little Fire in their Belly._"

A sweat drop ran down Lucy's face as the cameras cut to commercial. _"IIII'm not so sure about that slogan…I'll have to talk to Natsu about that one…."_

The green lights switched to yellow for commercial, and Loke turned to pat Lucy on the back right away. "Lucy, you were a total natural! I knew you had it in you!"

"R-Really?" She awkwardly replied as she tried to gage the truth. "W-what did you think, Karen…?"

"Eh, you were a little stiff, but you handled it well as we went along." Karen shrugged as she cleaned her nails. "Probably better than Brandish would have done."

Loke took her focus back as he looked Lucy right in the eyes. "So what do ya say, Lovely? Mind staying on camera while the pregame show comes to an end?"

Lucy still hated it when Loke referred to her using those pet nicknames, but she also admitted to enjoying the slight rush of having the camera on her for a world-wide broadcast.

"Oh, what the hell? I can stay for one more segment at least…eh, just go gentle on the questions about Natsu."

* * *

Finally, the day shifted to night, the grand Olympic Spire Stadium was filled to brim with spectators, and the Games officials were all prepped and ready to go for the largest stage of the sporting world to begin its greatest show.

"Well Michelle, we're so thankful you were able to join us this year as both a sponsor and co-host for the Opening Ceremony." Loke gave the camera fresh new smile as the real events of the evening were starting to commence and turned to gesture at his other counterpart. "I'd say I'm more excited to have you here than Karen, but judging by her reaction to having you here, I can't say that's true anymore."

Karen laughed with the others a she leaned past Loke to talk to Michelle. "Oh, I just know Loke isn't the same type of fan of your brand that I am. Your current summer line is beyond fabulous, this season."

"Oooh, it means so much to hear you say that, Karen!" Michelle slapped her rosy pink cheeks with delight as she tried to hide her waxing emotions. "I'm so happy that you all invited me to come out! And I must say, it was so touching to see my younger cousin, Lucy, here a few hours earlier talking to you in the pre-show. She always has nice things to say!"

"She is a pretty special person. "Loke admitted, though he also tried to measure the authenticity of Michelle's comment. "Anyway, why don't we turned our view down to the field, where it looks like the IOC is about to go underway…"

**"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, and all the athletes of this year's Games, we wish to welcome you back to Era for the return of the Twenty-Fifth Olympiad!"**

A booming voice rang out across the stadium in several languages, but all the messages were met with the same roar as fans cheered on the introduction of the athletic spectacle. The stadium lights dimmed, and a slow procession of drummers followed by horns and woodwinds rounded the stadium's outer track as the grand Olympic anthem rang out for all to hear.

Era had been the host of this great sporting stage for almost one hundred years, and even more historical evidence dates back to ancient times where that very city and site hosted grand competitions of all sorts atop the great mountain spire of Era. It was a city dedicated to the Gods, and the central mountain was their gateway into the heavens. The mountain was separated from the rest of the city by a moat to symbolize humanity's inability to touch the divines.

Great athletic events were created as ancient figures carved that great city out of stone, most of which were competitions measuring strength and endurance. The athletics events of track and field, wrestling, archery, and the equestrian arts were some of the first to be introduced from the ancient times, and swimming came closely after, followed by archery and gymnastics.

Some of the more modern sports included rifling, diving, and distance sports such as cycling and the triathlon joined later. Eventually the Games became an established four-year event starting in X696, and added team sports such as basketball, baseball, volleyball, and football (or as some refer to it, soccer.) Eventually the winter edition joined with more competition, and a world tradition was born.

The first portion of the Opening Ceremony was usually used as a dedication to this storied history. Performers would introduce the display of the Olympic Rings in some ornate fashion. This year it appeared in a pool of liquid, where a strange fire-laced arrow hit the stadium's center as five glowing rings lit up in blazes for all to see.

From there, performers and musicians danced and honored athletes and traditions of the past. The spectacle of the arts programs would have been enough for a standard show, but this being the grand stage, it was merely only the first portion for an exciting night to come. The second phase of the ceremonies was without a doubt everybody's favorite—_The Parade of Nations._

"And we've come to the big event of the night, the moment where most of our athletes will walk through the Olympic Stadium for the first time, this year, to showcase their faces to the rest of the world. "Loke continued talking through a quieter part of the show, and more announcers rang through the stadium as a first group emerged from the far-left stadium tunnel.

**"Dear friends of the Olympic Games, and spectators from all over the world! The great moment has come…joining us now, from all four continents…led by the great flag of the Independent Principality of Era, the _Athletes of the World!"_**

Fans cheered and chattered as the performers in the middle of the arena now turned to bow as a procession of people left the main tunnel, the middle figure of which hoisted the great powder blue and white banner of Era. Afterwards, the nations of the IOC followed in alphabetical order in the old _Eranese_ language.

"And we begin with a wonderful sight at this year's Parade of Athletes as the Era flag emerges from the hole." Loke spoke with his commentating ladies as they all three analyzed the arrival of the main competitors. "Starting the procession as always, are the athletes from the host city Era, which looks to be fielding fifty different sportsmen and women for the competition. Era always out-performs in swimming and the track and field events."

"The uniforms are marvelous!" Michelle leaned forward with star-filled eyes. "Just a fabulous use of warm blue tops met with all-white pants! I feel fine grading them with an A for the night!"

"And behind them, we begin with the _actual_ A's. As always, this group begins with the country of Alegria. The Alegrians are notably excellent in their team sports, but their usual talent comes on the basketball court. They brought home silver last time, and might I say these outfits are far more refreshing than their ones four years ago!"

"Absolutely!" Michelle rang out soon after. "The ceremonial black robes line with navy blue embroidery look very sophisticated, along with their white slacks and black shoes. Very unisex, and very in the now!"

"Funny that the basketball Silver Medalists enter first, because following them is the country that took home Gold in men's basketball during the last Olympiad; The former _Alvarez Empire_. Alvarez is sporting some sort of black sweaters with multi-patterned pants dominated by greens, but those white toga cloths running around their shoulders and waists look very original compared to year's prior."

Several nations from there on also managed to capture the spotting eyes of the three newscasters, specifically the colorful uniforms of Bella, the sturdy and stoic figures dressed for the nation of Bosco, and the rather lacking outfits from the island nation of Grimoire.

Eventually, the E's turned into the F's, and a new series of athletes emerged in bright smiles and warm hearts.

"And here we have our boys and girls from back home, the proud Kingdom of Fiore emerges in their finest purple and gold attire!" Loke clapped a bit as the Fiorens entered the stadium, and the two women beside him immediately began critiquing their home country's choice in uniform.

"The purple is in, but it looks like they're going for less gold and more white, this year." Karen nodded with acceptance. "White pants are a popular piece in this year's parade, but those purple blazers and black undershirts really stand out."

"I was so proud of my design team's work, this year!" Michelle's fashion label was responsible for outfitting Team Fiore every four years starting in the last Games, and while her first try at dressing the Olympians ending in utter failure four years ago, this year seemed to be different.

"This time around the gold was kept to just the metals; buttons on the jacket, buckles on the belts and shoes, a few jewelry accessories here and there…the ladies really wear the white hats nicely, though! Oooh I couldn't be any prouder!"

Loke nodded as he leaned forward holding onto his glasses. "And it looks like the Fiore Team is being led out by a rather young flag-bearer. A young Track and field athlete out of Magnolia, Coco Cracy is set to be one of the biggest names at this year's Games."

The young Coco led a parade of Fiorens in with a bright smile on her face as she waved the flowing flag of Fiore back and forth for all in the stadium to see. Vertical thirds of purple, white, and then purple were centered in the middle by the flowery golden seal of the ancient royal family of Fiore.

The descendant of that ancient house, and current President, Toma E. Fiore welcomed his men and women with a standing ovation as he and his daughter, Hisui, waved to the entering athletes from a luxurious press box on the middle section of the arena.

In the middle of the pack sat a series of familiar faces, as Natsu Dragneel sat on the shoulders of his former teammate, Elfman, while he waved to the adoring audience.

"HERE'S TA YOU, FIORE! WE'RE WINNING YOU AS MANY GOLD MEDALS AS WE CAN AHAHA!" Natsu waved two small Fiore flags as he tried to smile and cheer for the audience, but Elfman was struggling to hold on due to all his fidgeting.

"Ah, come on, man! Cut it out with all the crazy movement!"

"Just go ahead and drop him on his ass whenever ya feel like it, big guy." Gray walked by Elfman and kept his hands behind his head as he enjoyed the lights and scenery from the spectacle before him. "We already have two other point guards that can take his place."

"Yea, maybe I'll get a room to myself if he falls hard enough." Gajeel made himself laugh as he waved to a series of Fiore fans to the right. "Wouldn't be a bad way to spend my time here."

"Way to be team players." Laxus rolled his eyes and kept his arms crossed as simply followed the other athletes onto the track. "We'll need all the bodies we can get."

"Oh, don't act like you wouldn't want ta see Salamander bust his face all over the ground." Gajeel smacked Laxus hard on the back as he startled the blond center. "It'd be good to see him get a little humiliated in front of a crowd this big."

"I'm not sick enough to watch us lose our star player heading into a tournament we may not be able to win. Just keep it quiet and stick to waving…and put your damn jacket back on, Gray, before the sweater comes off with it."

"AGH!" Gray noticed his jacket had fallen off his waist after tying the arms around him earlier, and now noticed the sleeves to his black sweater were pushed up signifying his annoyance with clothing.

Luckily, though, Lyon managed to snag it before it fell on the ground. "I'll pick up after you for now, Gray, but let's not be this sloppy come tomorrow's match, okay?"

"Whatever, just remember to keep yours on too, okay, buddy?"

"WE'RE GETTIN' WILD, TONIGHT, BOYS!" Bacchus raised his hands in the air, then took a long drink from an over-sized flask hidden in his jacket pocket. "Oooh yea, this stuff's like medicine for my soul! I'm ready for the after-party!"

"Let me try some of that crap." Cobra stole the flask and downed some on his own as he nodded. "Anything just to get me away from the rest of these sops and get on with my night. Did we come here ta play ball or dance on a stage?"

"The Opening Ceremonies are some of the greatest traditions carried out by the Olympic Committee." Captain Jura Neekus walked from behind as he tried to correct the youth on his team of their poor attitude. "Simply walking through this Parade of Nations is considered to be just as great an honor as winning a medal."

"Maaan!" Ichiya's large nose was swimming through the air as he looked around at the surrounding athletes. "And the fellow company we walk with, tonight, is brimming with the fairer sex. Ohhh man, their parfum smells absolutely wonderful!"

He then turned around and took several extra sniffs at the glowing beauty walking behind him. "Ahhh, sweet Erza, your radiant parfum stands out most of all!"

"You'll be playing in tomorrow's game without a nose if you say that one more time." Erza growled as she walked with several other Fiorens behind Ichiya and the rest, but Jellal seemed to be smiling brightly at her amusing situation.

"Perhaps I won you over prematurely, Erza. It looks like the two of you have a more storied history than I realize."

"I believe her father used to coach Ichiya when he was younger in the league." A woman walking beside Erza with deep purple hair and a white bow tied upright looked on with an equally disgusted face. "He is a foul little beast when left uncontrolled, though. I don't blame her one bit."

"He's fine, I can at least be happy to find you here, Kagura." Erza smiled to her old friend as they waved to the audience together. "I cannot believe you made it to the Games with your brother, this year. Two former basketball players excelling in outside sports."

"I was happy too, especially when I heard you'd be here coaching Fiore's men's team. Simon and I couldn't wait to see you again."

"Yes, it'd been quite different for me ever since I left the FBA." The towering Simon walked behind Jellal as he smiled for his old friend. "Basketball was always my second sport, so I'm glad to be back in the field where I belong. Or should I say pool!"

Jellal turned to deliver a calm smile. "Your silver medal performance was quite impressive four years ago in the 400-meter freestyle. I hear you're looking to compete in seven different events this time around?"

The Fioren swimmer nodded proudly. "I usually perform better with a team. My solo events never end as well as they did four years ago. That was mere luck."

Titania boasted. "Oh, I sense great things coming from all of us, this year. Kagura was our star foil back in Hargeon."

Erza thought back to their days in college and remembered that while Kagura was her teammate for a few seasons in girls' basketball, the Mikazuchi girl was a true prodigy in fencing.

Kagura blushed. "Well, I honestly did enjoy my time on the basketball court more in college, but eventually I learned to recognize my true passion. I hope to not make a blunder of myself in my first time here."

"Relax." Erza hugged her old friend from the side. "Most of us are also new to Era here. If we lose, we'll do so together with conviction and comradery!"

"Thanks…" Kagura awkwardly smiled back. "That's sort of reassuring…I guess…"

The Fioren elites made their way through the entire track and continued to enjoy the buzzing scenery as more cameras and cheers rang out all around them. Cell phones took the hands of many athletes throughout the stadium's in-field green, which was covered by a thick tarp to allow maximum capacity from all countries involved.

Once every country filtered into the arena, the stadium hushed, and a jutting platform at the northern half-field side of the stadium lit up, revealing two figures walking out to its end.

**"Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed guests of these wonderful Games, we would now like to welcome Gran Doma, President of the International Olympic Committee! Along with Crawford Seam, the Chairman of the X792 Organizing Committee for these Olympic Games!"**

People celebrated the arrival of two very bizarrely dressed men from the city of Era as Gran Doma and Crawford Seam took their spots in front of the grand rostrum to address all in attendance. Crawford Seam sighed peacefully as he gave the audience a smile from his perch.

"Welcome to the Games of the Twenty Fifth Olympiad! Welcome to a very special anniversary and homecoming to this extraordinary pastime!"

Crawford was a very tall man, and broad enough to take up most of the view for cameras at home. His face was covered with a large bushy beard, knotted into two separate buns on either side of its end. He also sported a small bun atop his nearly bald head, marking his older age compared to other co-workers.

He was dressed in a very ornate fashion for these Games as well. Crawford wore a black undershirt paired with a robe that he usually kept tied tightly shut. Atop this robe, the chairman wore a dark-cuffed coat adorned with diamond patterns decorating the outer edges. Over that, his shoulders were draped with a shroud baring the Olympic ring emblem.

His eyes looked grey around the rims, but his smile looked bright enough to carry his somber words. "To our athletes, young champions of your sports. You are all descendants of the ancient Olympians, and shepherds of this great spectacle. The blood of old Ankhseram, the first athlete of these Games, runs in your veins. May you carry this gift throughout the coming weeks and bring glory to your home nations!"

The athletes continued to cheer with the crowd, but some tuned the goofy chairman out as they gathered together and took pictures with others from around the world. The large Crawford Seam, who spent a great portion in the middle of his speech to talk about his passion for herbs and gardening, finally ceased his rambling to turn over his microphone to the real man in-charge.

"Now, a-hem, may I please introduce the President of the International Olympic Committee, Gran Doma."

Gran Doma was a far different figure than the overly portly Crawford. He was much taller and more fit as an elderly man, with long graying hair and a low-hanging beard. He was moderately clad in a fit overcoat, with an ornate cape draped over his shoulders much like Chairman Seam.

He also sported a bizarrely wide-brimmed hat that could have better fit an old-fashioned wizard or western cowboy. He also seemed to carry around a large ceremonial staff with a designed serpent head on it. The serpent's mouth had five chain-linked rings dangling from it in five different Olympian colors.

President Gran Doma also held a different voice and demeanor than Chairman Seam. His was booming and stern. He held no warming smile, but a face that looked as if it was carved from the same rock making up the Olympic Spire mountain.

"Thank you all, and might I thank Chairman Crawford for his hard work and dedication to this event. Thank you to our dedicated staff, both paid and volunteer, without whom none of this would have been possible. Thank you to all the supporters for funding us and bringing the spirit of these Games to life, year after year. Finally, thank you to the athletes, who above all others embody honesty, and integrity. Those who refuse to stoop to the lower levels of cheating, doping, and respect fair play will always be allowed to walk through these monuments and venues as proud Olympic participants."

Fans and Athletes roared for the noble President as he tried to finish his speech to round down the Opening Ceremony. Gran Doma carried on. "Thus, I declare the start of the Olympic Games...and the celebration of the 25th Olympiad of our modern era."

From there, out of the tunnel, came running a single athlete dressed in all white. This person was carrying a great torch lit by a medium fire. The fans were all out of their seats, and just as the eyes settled on the lone runner, sparks of flair lit up among the rest of the athletes.

"WOAH ICHIYA!" Natsu yelled out with startled eyes. "YOU'RE POCKET'S ON FIRE!"

"No kidding!" Sting and Rogue stood by while the White Dragon yelled with Natsu. In fact, everybody by Jura and Bacchus from the basketball team looked nervous for the small Blue Pegasus point guard.

"Maaan!" Ichiya laughed at the concerned point guard with a grinning face as he pulled out a tiny purple box, and opened it on its hinge to reveal a shining hot golden flame. "Curb your fear, my friends. I come to these Games bearing the torch for our glorious nation, Fiore!"

Each nation of the Olympics had one athlete responsible for carrying a concealed fire in a box. This box miraculously stayed lit for four years, hiding a single ember of the previous Olympic Flame from four years prior. All participating nations were responsible for selecting a member of their athletic team to carry the flame for the off-season, and last time in the year X788, Ichiya Vandolay Kotobuki was the one to seize the charge for Fiore.

"I shall honor my motherland with the glorious parfum of victory! MAAAAN!"

He ran with the other athletes, as much as his tiny feet could take him. Seeing a man of his size running that fast would usually illicit laughter from other notable athletes, but alas, Ichiya was a professional FBA player. His fame gave enough backing for Team Fiore and all its athletes to cheer him on as he ran up to the far-right side of the stadium and ascended the great medal stairs to deposit his version of the flame in the great base of a towering caldron.

Natsu tried to follow, but stopped smiling as one particular athlete took control of his focus. He was absurdly tall, much taller than the other men and women running up the steps, and in fact, after depositing his flame, the mysterious figure simply walked back down the steps to return to the track at his own pace.

His head was covered in a bushy blue mess of long curled hair. His arms were swollen past normal size, and his sleeveless shirt actual made him stand out in the uniform of his home country, Alvarez. Finally, sharp blue tattoos dotted his great arms with ornate tribal patterns, and a similar steel blue color shaded his angry eyes as he looked forward to return to his team.

Natsu's eyes were for once in his lifetime frozen with fear. He never even had to guess what sport this man played for. He knew well enough that the Alvarez team would be the toughest opponent he had faced yet. Things were just about to get very interesting for Fiore basketball.

As each ball of fire was lit with the fuse down below, the mighty Olympic cauldron grew larger and larger. Finally, the original white-dressed athlete from Era, having performed an entire lap around the Olympic track, made his way to the alter and lit the final spark of fire through the pipe. He watched as the mighty Olympic cauldron roared to total life over the upper edge of the stadium for all Era to see.

The Olympic flag, branded by the five colored rings of blue, yellow, black, green, and red, also flew at the far-left side of the stadium opposite of the flame. Now, with the sendoff guided by fireworks and more cheers by the audience, the Twenty Fifth Olympiad could final take place.

* * *

**Well, that athlete Natsu spotted running (or rather walking) to the torch seemed suspiciously familiar...I guess he's from Alvarez. More chapters when I can get to it!**

**Until next time!**


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